THE BOOK OF
Judges
THE BOOK OFJudges
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CHAPTER 11. Now what took place after the death of Y'hoshua was that the descendants of Israel consulted YHWH, saying, "Who should go up against the Kanaanite first, to fight against him?"Consulted: via the high priest, whose garment and efod contained several means of providing answers via lot or the spelling out of answers. (Numbers 27:21) There was no single leader anymore for YHWH to communicate through, so they reverted to this "default" means of communication from Him. Why did they ask? Because they knew from Y'hoshua himself that the job was not yet finished. (Y'hoshua 13:1ff)2. And YHWH said, "Yehudah must go up; indeed, I have given the Land into his hand." This has been repeated in recent history, as Yehudah was the first tribe to go up and take back the Land. (Compare Z'kharyah 12:7, which prophesies this, and implies that the rest of the tribes will follow.)3. So Yehudah said to his brother Shim'on, "Come up with me into my allotment so we can make war on the Kanaanites; then I will go up with you into your allotment." So Shim'on went up. Shim'on was known for being a fighter at heart. (Gen. 34) This is one reason Yehudah called for him. His skill was needed, and he might even have been one who enjoyed this responsibility! (Gen. 49:5-10) Another was that the Shim'onites' inheritance was within the borders of Yehudah, Shim'on's younger brother, so it was not an unfair thing to ask, and they would reciprocate. But Shim'on had an attachment he had to get past in this case, because one of his children had a Kanaanite mother. (Gen. 46:10)4. When Yehudah went up, YHWH gave the Kanaanite and Prizzite over into their hand, and they struck down ten thousand men in Bezeq. Alt., they each struck down ten thousand.5. When they came upon Adoni-Bezeq ["my master is a flash of lightning"] at Bezeq, they made war on him and struck down the Kanaanite and the Prizzite. 6. But Adoni-Bezeq fled away, so they chased him down and caught him, and chopped off his thumbs and his big toes. Literally, the large digits of his hands and feet. He would lose his ability to grasp a sword or other weapon, and would have no balance when he walked or ran. But these were two of the three places the priests were anointed at the inauguration to service. (Ex. 29:20; Lev. 8:23; 14:14ff) This symbolized having his anointing removed. But there was another reason:7. And Adoni-Bezeq said, "Seventy kings [with] their thumbs and big toes chopped off used to gather up [scraps of food] under my table. Just as I did, Elohim has paid me back in kind!" And they brought him [to] Yerushalaim, and there he died. He had probably gloated over his treating them like dogs, so it is likely that the Israelites knew this ahead of time and chose a punishment that fit his crime. He recognized that justice had been done, and may even have recognized Israel's Elohim as other kings did. Most human battles were seen by all parties at that time as being contests between the two nations' elohim. But 70 kings would symbolically represent his being ruler over all the nations of the earth. (Seventy nations are listed in Genesis 10 from which all others today stem.) He is therefore a foreshadowing of the counterfeit Messiah having his authority removed, thus paving the way for Israel to regain Yerushalayim:8. Then the sons of Yehudah made war at Yerushalaim and captured it, and attacked it with the mouth of the sword, and set the city on fire. Set the city on fire: literally, sent the city away with fire, dismissed it, set it free, shot it, or gave it over.9. And afterward the sons of Yehudah went down and engaged in battle with the Kanaanite dwelling in the mountain-range, the Negev, and the Sh'felah. Negev: the southern desert. Sh'felah: foothills; literally, that which falls.10. Then Yehudah went against the Kanaanite dwelling in Hevron. (Now the name of Hevron was previously Kiryath-Arba.) And they struck down Sheshai, Akhiman, and Thalmai. These were the three sons of Anaq, a giant who had once ruled here. (Num. 13:22)11. And from there he went the inhabitants of D'vir. (Now the name of D'vir was previously Kiryath-Sefer, The "sanctuary" was once called "city of a scroll".12. and Kalev had said, "Whoever attacks Kiryath-Sefer and captures it, I will him Akhsah my daughter as a wife!" 13. And Awthni'el, son of Q'naz, Kalev's brother, who was younger than he, captured it, so he gave him Akhsah his daughter as a wife. Was she obviously such a prize, or was he trying to get such a woman out from under his roof?14. Incidentally, as she came, she allured him to request the field from her father. When she started to dismount from her donkey, Kalev said to her, "What [will it be] for you?" Dismount: Some actually read this alternately as a reference to flatulence, which in Arab cultures today is still a way of expressing displeasure--possibly to her having been given away so flippantly, though this was not uncommon. In any case, it was clear to him that she wanted something more. It may be that she did not think her husband was specific enough in his request, because they had been given a very dry land:15. So she said to him, "Grant me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the Negev; provide me with [rolling] springs of water as well." So Kalev gave her the upper springs as well as the lower springs.)
Qeynite: means "the smith". Being no longer a priest of Midyan, he may have changed vocations. Aramaic, Shalmaite, another name for the same people, according to the Talmud. The LXX identifies this Qeynite as "Yothor", or Yithro. Some of them had evidently stayed on with Israel after Yithro came to advise Moshe, then had gone back home.17. Then Yehudah went along with Shim'on his brother, and they struck down the Kanaanite that dwelt in Tz'fath, and they devoted it to destruction; then the name of the city was called Khormah. Khormah: LXX, Anathema. Both words mean "devoted to destruction".18. Then Yehudah captured 'Azzah and its territory, Ashqelon and its territory, and Eqron and its territory. The LXX says just the opposite, denying that these were captured; the Aramaic agrees with the Hebrew. This may be one place that the 72 translators of the LXX deliberately changed the text to delude Gentiles, who even today are predisposed to deny that Gaza belongs to Yehudah.19. And YHWH was with Yehudah when he was taking possession of the mountainous [region], since he [was] not [able] to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots. YHWH was with Yehudah: Thus how can He be with Yehudah when they give 'Azzah (Gaza) back to their enemies? He made sure they were successful in one entire region. The Aramaic targum says it was because they sinned that they were unable to conquer the rest. Y'hoshua had told Menashe and Efrayim to dispossess them despite the fact of their strength. (Y'hoshua 17:17-18) Maybe Yehudan should have asked for their help as well as Shim'on's! Valley: or, deep, low-lying region--possibly the Great Rift, since it is the lowest area on the surface of the earth!20. And they gave Hevron to Kalev, as Moshe had said, and he dispossessed from there the three sons of Anaq. Verses 15-20 are a recapitulation of Y'hoshua 15:13ff. YHWH saw fit to repeat it, probably to draw a more striking contrast between verses 19 and 20 as well as between 20 and 21. As Moshe had said: in Deuteronomy (D'varim) 1:36. YHWH honored his faith and courage, since he did not fear them, but trusted YHWH to make him able--even at 85 years old--to rid the Land of any obstacles that YHWH wanted removed. (Y'hoshua 14:6ff)21. But the sons of Binyamin did not dispossess the Y'vusites who were dwelling in Yerushalaim, and the Yevusite lives with the sons of Binyamin in Yerushalaim to this day. This book was thus written prior to the reign of David, who did dispossess it, and even made it his capital. But by that time only the Y'vusites lived there, showing what the result of allowing YHWH's enemies to remain will be for any of us. They will not respect our kindness, but will only take it as an open door to overrun us--an important message for Yehudah in the Land today. If we take an area and yet do not remove from our lives the elements that support its vulnerability, we will only have to take it back again. This time David did not negotiate with them.22. Now the House of Yoseyf--they themselves, too--went up to Beyth-El, and YHWH was with them. House of Yoseyf: probably the tribe of Efrayim in particular, since this was in his land, but possibly including Menashe as well. With them: Aramaic, at their aid.23. And the House of Yoseyf [sent spies and] did reconnaissance at Beyth-El. (Now the name of the city had formerly been Luz.) This is the place Yaaqov had had his dream of the messengers ascending and descending a staircase. (Gen. 28:19)24. Now the observers saw a man coming out from the city, and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will deal mercifully with you." Apparently he came from a part of the wall that was not near the main city gates, so they knew there must be another secret entrance. Please: They must have "spoken softly and carried a big stick!"25. So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they attacked the city for the mouth of the sword, and they let the man and his whole family go free, 26. and the man went to the land of the Chittites and built a city, and called its name Luz, and that is its name to this day. He replaced his former hometown; he must have had a large family to be able to do so.27. Now Menashe had not taken possession of Beyth-She'an and its daughters, or Thaanakh and its daughters, or the inhabitants of Dor and its daughters, or the inhabitants of Yivleam and its daughters, or the inhabitants of M'giddo and its daughters, and the Kanaanite was willing to settle in that land. Daughters: that is, outlying villages (somewhat like suburbs, but unwalled) whose inhabitants would run to that city for protection in case of attack. Since much of Menashe has been identified with the United States by those who study the dispersion patterns in depth, those of us who are exiled here should pay special attention to the meanings of these names, for they warn us where the strongholds of non-Israel remain for us. Beyth-She'an means "house of ease or security". As Khaggai shows, building up luxuries for ourselves robs Israel. Thaanakh means "closed up tightly". As we refuse to allow our private selves to be known by community, Israel gains less ground. Dor means "perpetually turning around", a picture of being distracted by one pressure after another rather than steadily working toward our goal. Yivleam means "it swallows them up" or "streams of people", for concern for keeping the people coming back indeed obscures the high standard of obedience. M'giddo means "place of [invading] crowds" or "his renown as chief", and indeed concern to be the biggest and best will keep our focus off our true calling. Kanaanite can also mean "merchant". Were willing: either being acquiescent to Israel or being resolved and determined.28. (Now it did turn out that when Israel's grip became strong, they did appoint the Kanaanite to forced labor, but they did not completely dispossess them.) To forced labor: Aramaic, to bring tribute. It might seem a positive thing to allow what is conveniently present to be our slave labor, but we were supposed to completely dispossess anyone who had not fled when they arrived,as a doctor takes out not just a cancerous tumor, but the area around it as well in case it has spread. Israel's responsibility is to do more than just take an area; its influences must also be removed --something returning Israel failed to do after the message of Yahshua was brought to us in exile, so the paganism we made allowances for soon transformed His message into the toothless vestige that is now Christianity. We must not just clear an area and move on; we must leave guards to tend it lest the leaven of foreign influence find its way back in. Forced labor in Israel meant being woodcutters and those who draw water. (Y'hoshua 9:21-27) Both of these are pictures of shaping men with their interpretation of Torah. When merchants (a homonym for Kanaanites in Hebrew) are allowed to spread their influence, the love of money cannot help but grow into many forms of evil.29. Nor did Efrayim dispossess the Kanaanite living in Gezer, and the Kanaanite lived right in their midst in Gezer. Gezer means a "portion". The merchants were still given a place among the people of fruitfulness (the meaning of Efrayim's name).30. Z'vulun did not dispossess the inhabitants of Qitron or the inhabitants of Nahalal, but the Kanaanite lived among them and became forced labor. Qitron means "great burning of incense". Nahalal means "a watering-station or restful place of pasture". This was one of the Merarite Levitical cities. (Y'hoshua 19:15) What kind of gift was this fro Z'vulun to give Levi--a placethat had not been cleared of its former inhabitants?31. Nor did Asher dispossess the inhabitants of Akko [his hemming in], the inhabitants of Tzidon [great hunting (of fish)] or Akhlav [I will be fertile] or Akhziv [I will deceive] or Khelbah [choicest part] or Afik [self-restraint] or Rehov [wide-open space]. Again, the names of the places tell the story of what we are cheating YHWH out of.32. And the Asherites lived right in the midst of the Kanaanite inhabitants of the Land, because they did not dispossess them. Here we see a progressive worsening: This time (compared to verse 29) it sounds more like they are at the mercy of their hosts rather than being hosts to the Kanaanites who did not have the upper hand. This may have something to do with their being on the border of Israel; unlike the rest of the Kanaanites, these were not surrounded by Israel and would therefore not feel as obligated to avoid offending Israel, and indeed this region retained enough paganism to produce Yizevel, a scourge to Israel hundreds of years later.33. Nafthali did not dispossess the inhabitants of Beyth-Shemesh [house of the sun] or the inhabitants of Beyth-Anath [house of answers], and they lived right among the Kanaanite inhabitants of the Land, though the inhabitants of Beyth-Shemesh and Beyth-anath did become forced labor for them. The names of these two cities bespeak the sun worship that was allowed to remain within forgiven Israel in exile, and the tolerance we have shown toward those who appeared to be able to give answers--mediums and horoscope-writers--and the effect has been a still-greater reduction in holiness.34. And the Emorite squeezed the descendants of Dan into the mountainous area, because they would not allow them to come down into the valley. Emorites means "wordy ones" or "speakers". They talked their way out of being destroyed! But of all the groups in the Land, these should have been the first to be removed, because it was the fact that their "cup" of iniquity had not yet been filled up that kept Israel from being able to occupy the Land earlier. (Gen. 15:16) If YHWH said it was time to kill them, be sure He was out of patience and deserved to be rid of them! The mountainous area: This must be in the northern location that some of the tribe migrated to, because there are no mountains in their original deeded territory, unless it means they would not let them descend from the coastal bluff and have sea access. The city of Dan in the north is only a couple of miles from the mountains.35. And the Emorite was determined to settle in Mount Kheres [sun], in Ayalon [great stag], and in Shaalvim [fox-holes], but the hand of the House of Yoseyf was heavy, so they became forced labor. Every time they are called the House of Yoseyf, they fared better than when they acted as Menashe or Efrayim separately. But if they were strong enough to enslave them, why were they not obedient to finish the job? It is walking in truth, not accommodating our "bleeding hearts", is ironically what will attract Israel back home.36. And the territory of the Emorites was from the Ascent of Scorpions, from the cliff and upward. The Ascent of Scorpions is at the opposite end of the Land of Israel from Dan--southwest of the Dead Sea on the edge of the Negev! Unless there was another location with the same name, which was not unheard of in Israel, the repercussions of not enforcing YHWH's borders had far-reaching effects! Territory: or, border. The very fact that the Emorites still had territory within Israel is a bad enough commentary on our condition. Only Israel's tribes were to have borders there. All this failure to dispossess the nations that were allowed to stand only set Israel up for the oppressions they received, on and off, from their neighboring enemies for the next 300-odd years. CHAPTER 21. Then a messenger of YHWH came up from Gilgal to the Bokhim and said, "I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and into the land [about] which I swore to your ancestors and said, 'I will not violate My covenant with you forever.Messenger: the term allows for an angel, but the Aramaic takes him as "the prophet by the commission from before YHWH", and the context supports this. In verse 6, it is Y'hoshua dismissing the people, and Gilgal was his camp, so it is most likely that this messenger was Y'hoshua himself. The Bokhim: [place of] weeping. The reason for this name is explained below. It was close to Gilgal. The LXX adds "and to Beyth-El and to the House of Israel". The point is that they were already drifting outward to a place where Y'hoshua had to come out to them, rather than continuing to draw near to YHWH's dwelling place. They were away from where their leader was, and were doing their own thing. Violate: or break; Aramaic, change.2. "'And you must not cut a covenant for the inhabitants of this Land. You must pull down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My voice. What is this [that] you have done? The LXX adds to the first sentence, "nor shall you worship their elohim". This tells us plainly that if we do not--on any scale--pull down their altars, we are making covenant with them. For: or belonging to--i.e., it ends up being their covenant, not yours. It is not a covenant of equals, so it does not say "with the inhabitants"; it benefits them, ultimately, not us. And so it still is today. Why didn't they do it? The altars would not have been unguarded. But was there any benefit to leaving them in place? In Israel, one never actually slaughtered the animal on the altar itself; it was more like a barbecue grill most of the time, with a few offerings being burnt up completely thereon after having been slain off the altar. The rabbis say that, with the altar gone, our table fills the same purpose. So who we sit with at the table and what its contents are dedicated to takes on added significance. If we try to find common ground wit those YHWH had condemned, we are eating meat offered to idols and are rebuilding their altars. Israel seems to have an inherent need to be liked by those we have nothing in common with, even to the point of giving them land, and so we become trodden down. The altars of the nations seemed a little "spicier"--more entertainment and even prostitution were associated with them. By leaving their "tables" standing, we could partake of something they had that we didn't. There was variety rather than mere tradition. Here they got to taste of things not previously permitted. And they simply had misplaced mercy. When YHWH tells us to feel no compassion on them, even their children, it is a sin to have a "bleeding heart". We cannot just indiscriminately pass on the mercy just because we appreciate His having mercy on us, for He knows best when to apply it. In this case it was specifically prohibited. (Deut. 7:2) He knows which vessels of His He wants broken, and it is up to Him how it all "comes out in the wash". Being obedient even when it is distasteful makes everything better. What is this that you have done? The seriousness of the situation is highlighted in the phrasing, and even more so when we see that this is what YHWH asked Chavvah after she disobeyed for the first time, bringing the curse (Gen. 3:13) and what He asked Qayin (Cain) after he murdered his brother. (Gen. 4:10) This would seem to be the opposite; here they were refraining from what seemed like murder. But by failing to do away with these threats, they were actually leaving their brothers open to attack, and loving one's brother takes precedence over a vague mercy toward all.3. "And I also said, 'I will not drive them out from your presence, and they will come to be limits for you, and their elohim will become a snare to you." Limits: literally, sides, i.e., parameters that constrict, hemming one in so he has no breathing space; we could not spread out any further, as seen in 1:34. Aramaic, oppressors; LXX, distresses.4. And what took place as the messenger of YHWH spoke these words to all the descendants of Israel [was] that the people lifted up their voice and wept. 5. Thus they called the name of that place Bokhim [weeping], and they slaughtered [an offering] to YHWH there. They wept over their guilt and shame and the loss of YHWH's help. An offering: Aramaic, holy things. Y'hoshua left this account out of his record. It seemed satisfactorily straightened out, so he may have thought it not necessary to write down, assuming they had truly heeded what he said. But after he was out of their immediate vicinity, the real state of their hearts became more evident, so he had to go back and straighten them out.6. When Y'hoshua had dismissed the people, each of the descendants of Israel went to his inherited property to occupy the Land, Is this what started the problems? What would have been different if they had even stayed grouped by tribe? They were different people when he was not around, like school children when the teacher leaves the classroom. After our Y'hoshua left, His servants also started to show their true colors. (Compare Luqa 12:45.) More mature people would have the Word of YHWH hidden in their hearts, warning them from within not to sin. (Psalm 119:11) At this point Israel was not getting there, possibly because they were constantly being bailed out, and thus never able to grow from their experiences. But now it is over 2,700 years since we lived in the Land; that is enough time to learn our lessons! If we do not, there is no guarantee that we will not have to have our sentence multiplies by seven times again--and that would be nearly 20,000 years! It is dangerous to be immature now, for the time has come to again be His people. We absolutely must grow up; whining is not acceptable in His house.7. and the people had served YHWH all the days of Y'hoshua and all the days of the elders who survived longer than Y'hoshua, who had seen all the great acts of YHWH that He had done for Israel. Survived longer than: literally, prolonged the days of (i.e., outlived). Seen: This highlights the importance of being a witness, for things changed after they no longer had such people to rebuke, correct, and advise them. Today, elders are put away in isolation at nursing homes, though their brains are not always as feeble as their bodies. In many cases, only they have enough experience to have the wisdom we need for crucial decisions. And, having seen the consequences of taking the wrong road, only they can recall enough history to avoid repeating it. Today YHWH is doing great works again, breathing life back into what was lost to us. We must establish the witness in our children, exposing them to some hardship so that they too can be witnesses to theirs of how YHWH delivers. This is why YHWH gave us the Passover celebration.8. When Y'hoshua the son of Nun, the servant of YHWH, died, [being] 110 years old, 9. they buried him within the boundary of his inherited property in Timnath-kheres, in the mountains of Efrayim north of Mount Gaash. Timnath-Kheres means "portion of the sun". Mount Gaash means "the mountain of quaking".10. And that whole generation was gathered to its fathers, and another generation arose after them who were not acquainted with YHWH or even the acts that He had done for Israel. How could they not know YHWH so soon after He had acted so decisively? The only possible answer is that they were not taught; as their parents became relatively comfortable in the Land, it was easy to feel less need for YHWH. What a vivid demonstration of the importance of teaching our children diligently all that we know about YHWH--something He Himself commanded us to do. (Deut. 6:7) It took only one generation for this very fresh memory to fade away completely! This failure was predicted in Deut. 31:16--a warning they should have taken to heart, in order to avoid it. Were not acquainted with: or, did not acknowledge, for it is hard to abandon one you know nothing about. (v. 12) The younger generation also bore some of the responsibility of forgetting about Him.11. Then the descendants of Israel did evil in the eyes of YHWH and served the Baalim, Evil: or wrong. Baalim: literally, "owners" or "husbands"--the supreme male deity worshipped by the nations around Israel, notably in the region later known as Phoenicia (Tzur and Tzidon and environs), but other Kanaanites as well.12. and abandoned YHWH, the Elohim of their fathers, the one who brought them out from the land of Egypt and walked after other elohim--the elohim of the peoples who surrounded them, and they bowed down to them and angered YHWH. 13. Indeed, they abandoned YHWH and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. Ashtaroth: Kanaanite fertility goddesses, which were often considered to be consorts of the Baals, idols with which the people sometimes actually became intimate as well, and symbolic "groves" which depicted lewd acts between the two.14. Then the anger of YHWH was kindled in Israel, and He handed them over to plunderers, and they were pillaging them, and He sold them into the hand of their enemies on every side, and they could no longer stand before their enemies. Handed them over: Unless He had done so, there was no reason they should have been beaten after all He did to strengthen them. (Deut. 32:30)15. Wherever they went, the hand of YHWH came against them for harm, just as YHWH had said, and as YHWH had sworn to them, and it forced them into [cramped] straits. The hand of YHWH: Aramaic, slaughter from before YHWH. Forced them into cramped straits: or, distressed them with great force.16. Then YHWH raised up judges, and they delivered them from the hand of their plunderers. Judges: Not courtroom-type decision-makers, but military warlords who won decisive battles and also served as political leaders and teachers to the people in many cases. The root word means to discriminate, decide a controversy, govern, vindicate, avenge, deliver, or punish. Essentially they were kings, but without that title. Since all the former witnesses were gone, YHWH gave them a fresh demonstration of His power. He saved them over and over again as a whole nation, not just individuals, and that is how He wants to save us today.17. But they did not even listen to their judges, because they were whoring after other elohim and bowing down to [worship] them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their parents had walked to obey the commandments of YHWH; they did not do the same [thing]. They were glad to have someone strong to deliver them, but once they started asserting authority, the people chafed under this, as many today misuse Paul's statement that we "have no need of a teacher". That is true corporately, not individually, and only when we have already had someone to teach us to walk in the commandments, for look what they did as soon as the teacher "walked out of the room"; there had to be someone in charge:18. And since YHWH had raised up judges for them, and YHWH came to be with the judge, the judge then delivered them out of their enemies' hand all the days of the judge, because YHWH had compassion due to their groanings from the presence of those who oppressed them and who crowded them out. YHWH felt sorry for them, but also sighed over them, like an exasperated parent helping a child out of trouble he has gotten himself into, and hoping he will learn from it.19. But it turned out that upon the judge's death, they would turn back and act more corruptly than their parents in going after other elohim to serve them and to bow themselves down to them; they would not let their own practices or their stubborn habit drop. Corruptly: rotting and decaying, we are already on the road to death when we act this way.20. So YHWH's anger grew hot against Israel, and He said, "On account of the fact that this nation has crossed [the line by going beyond the bounds of] My covenant which I laid as a charge upon their ancestors, and has not obeyed My voice, 21. "not one more time will I expel from their presence [even] one of the nations that Y'hoshua left when he died either, 22. "in order that through them I can put Israel to the test [as to] whether they are guarding the way of YHWH, to walk in it as their fathers did, or not." Would they finish the job? Our Y'hoshua also did not get to see the work completed either--yet! (Yeshayahu 53:11)23. So YHWH let those nations remain without driving them out quickly, rather than giving them over into Y'hoshua's hand. This was a "punishment" that included within it an open door to reverse it if they would change their ways. It is not His fault if we do not bring into subjection all that raises its head against the knowledge of YHWH. (2 Korinthians 10:5) But long after Y'hoshua's death, our behavior still reflected on his name. Verses 11-23 are a synopsis of the rest of the book. There was cycle after cycle of oppression and deliverance, then rejection of the leader YHWH sent. They wanted deliverance without having to listen to what the deliverer said. They could not remain delivered that way! We, too, candy-coat the Gospel rather than taking up the execution stake, preferring the Kingdom over our natural families, etc., and yet expect to receive what He came to bring us! It is one of the hardest lessons to learn in this democratic age that without strong leaders we cannot get back Home. CHAPTER 31. Now these are the nations that YHWH allowed to remain by which to test Israel--all who were not familiar with any of the wars of Kanaan--Even though Israel was already in the Promised Land, there were tests, just as there was in the Garden of Eden. And also like the curse in Genesis 3, the people they allowed to remain in the Land were a thorn in their sides.2. only in order that the generations of the descendants of Israel [might] know, to teach them war--only those who had not experienced them beforehand: Genesis 3:19 says we must eat bread (lekhem) by the sweat of our brow because of Adam's sin. But the root word (lakham) means "to battle", so this can also be read in Hebrew to say we must feed on war until the causes of the violence and bloodshed that we have had since are dealt with. Battles are part of the curse, but still can be a road to redemption. There was no violence before that, but now they needed such a challenge in order to learn to trust YHWH. A common enemy is also the most effective way to draw a people together in unity.3. Five tyrants of the Filistines, and every Kanaanite or Tzidonian or Chiwite inhabiting the mountains of Levanon, from Mount Baal-Hermon as far as the entrance of Khamath. Five tyrants: kings of the cities of 'Azzah, Ashqelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Eqron. Mount Baal-Hermon: Aramaic, the plain of Hermon; the targum removes the word Baal, even in geographical place-names! This is a noble gesture, going beyond even that which the ambivalence of the Hebrew text allows for.4. And they were there to test Israel by, to know whether they would obey YHWH's orders, which He had given to their ancestors by the hand of Moshe. 5. While the descendants of Israel lived right among the Kanaanite[s], the Hittite[s], the Emorite[s], the Prizzite[s], the Chiwite[s], and the Y'vusite[s], Previously the Kanaanites had been the ones living in their midst; they were apparently no longer forced laborers, but had regained the upper hand so quickly. The Hebrew word for Kanaanite is the same as the word for "merchant". Mammon (wealth) is how they enslaved them again--through trade. And the money markets are what hinders returning Israel more than anything else, because the system does not accommodate those with a heart for the Sabbath. Sunday, yes, they will stop for half a day, because of the large constituency they cater to. This trade does not just have to do with financial dealings, but with ideas, philosophies, affection for extended family members--trading freely in any way with what is not Israel.6. they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and they gave their daughters to their sons, and they started serving their elohim. This seems to be an inevitable result, as King Shlomo found out the hard way. It is very hard to go to battle with someone who shares the same grandchildren with you. Jews today are still wary of such roads to assimilation, and it is forbidden in Exodus 24:13-16. There, one gets started down the slippery slope by merely accepting their invitation to dinner. This is why Ezra went further and required that those returning to Yehudah after exile put away all foreign wives. (Ezra 10:10-44) It was the only way to undo a wrong choice, unless they the,selves were to leave the Land with their families. (Apparently none of the wives had become Israelites themselves.) Granted, it was probably easier in a world where the mindset was universal that a wife and children were a man's property and could be sold or dismissed at will. But sometimes one has to be the "bad guy" toward outsiders to protect those inside. Israel is meant to be a light to the nations, and some of the most important trade routes in the world ran through the Land. Imagine how clear a message about YHWH's holiness the nations would receive if the Torah had been enforced in this regard--if traders reported how they were allowed to sell their foodstuffs and agricultural wares, but armed guards were sent to follow them and ensure that they did not open their bags of trinkets with idolatrous symbols on them anywhere they stopped within the Land!7. Thus the descendants of Israel did what was wrong in the eyes of YHWH--they both forgot YHWH their Elohim and served the Baalim and Asheroth. 8. So YHWH's nostrils were kindled against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Kushan Rish'athayim, king of Aram of the Pair of Rivers, and the descendants of Israel served Kushan Rish'athayim eight years. Rish'athayim means "twice wicked" or "doubly evil". Aram of the Pair of Rivers: Mesopotamia. Note that his name and his realm are both in the dual form grammatically.9. When the descendants of Israel cried out to YHWH [for help], YHWH raised up a liberator for the descendants of Israel--Awthni'el the son of Q'naz, Kalev's brother (the one younger than he), and he saved them. When they cried out: He would not intrude in their choices until they wanted Him. Those who were intermarrying were following their own hearts; it must have been those who saw this evil being done and lamented it who called for His intervention. (Compare Y'hezq'el/Ezek. 9:4) Awthni'el: the brave conqueror seen in 1:12-15 above. His name means "forceful lion of Elohim". He came from the family of another very brave man, but was already one who had proven valiant himself. The one faithful in little was chosen for a bigger task, because YHWH trusted him.10. When a spirit of YHWH came upon him, he avenged Israel; when he went out to war, YHWH handed over to him Kushan Rish'athayim, king of Aram, and his hand prevailed over Kushan Rish'athayim, A spirit: Prior to this, such an endowment is only seen with Moshe, Y'hoshua, and the priests--people anointed for a special calling, as the kings later were as well. The Aramaic targum identifies it as a spirit of prophecy. A prophet is one who quotes YHWH's words and brings them to bear on a situation. The same is not said of the judges who come later in the book; can we assume the same was true of them as well? A tree is known by its fruit.11. and the Land was quiet forty years. Then Awthni'el, the son of Q'naz died, Quiet: undisturbed, at peace, at rest. For this to be true, he had to enforce the Torah. This had to mean there was a great shaking up in Israel, including the breakup of families as under Ezra. It would have been "obey or die". If the rest of the Torah was being lived out, it would be a mere technicality to put the Kanaanites to the sword. He put up with no deviation, and that is what kept Israel free. Undoubtedly some breathed a sigh of relief when he died, for now they had neither oppressive enemies nor such a hard-liner for a ruler. But we cannot remain free as long as we show "understanding" toward people's excuses, and it all came vack as they opened the door again:12. and the descendants of Israel started to do what was wrong in the eyes of YHWH again, so YHWH strengthened [the grip of] Eglon, king of Mo'av, against Israel because they had done what was wrong in the eyes of YHWH. Do what was wrong: The Aramaic targum specifies that this means they strayed after and bowed down to the idols of the nations. This sin does innately have the seeds of the cycle of oppression seen above right within it. Eglon means "a great calf" or "calf-like", and this is the precise meaning of Italia in Latin, so the parallel is easy to see: If we do not enforce the Torah, we wind up under the rule of Roma and its pagan church, which also brings all kinds of people together (the meaning of "catholic"). Just as long as they call whatever they worship "god", no distinction is necessary between YHWH and Allah or Jupiter or Krishna, so we will have no problems mingling!13. And he assembled to himself the descendants of Ammon and Amaleq, and went and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the city of date-palms. The two nations descending from Lot joined in with Amaleq's method of taking advantage of Israel's weakness. Assembled: or added. City of date-palms: Y'rikho.(Deut. 34:3) It was again inhabited, so soon after Y'hoshua destroyed it, but its wall had not been rebuilt, which is why it was such an easy target.14. So the descendants of Israel served Eglon, king of Mo'av, eighteen years. 15. When the descendants of Israel cried out to YHWH [for help], YHWH raised up a liberator for them--Ehud the son of Gera', a descendant of the Y'minite, a man whose right hand was restricted, and the descendants of Israel sent a tribute to Eglon, king of Mo'av, by his hand. Descendant of the Y'minite: possibly an alternate way to say Benyamite. If so, he was one of the 700 select left-handers who could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. (20:16) Restricted: Aramaic, withered; but this may simply be an idiom for being left-handed. How ironic that Y'minite means "right-handed"! And again,note the wording: it is by "his hand" that the tribute is sent. Pay attention to his hands! Their method was to bind the right hand (tie it behind their backs?) to force themselves to become ambidextrous, since it was an advantage in a region where cities were so designed that only left-handed archers could fire upon the city from a chariot because of the angle of the approach to the city gate. He was already a trained assassin; again, not the timid but the skilled were the chosen.16. Now Ehud made a dagger for himself, and it had two edges, its length a gomed. And he tied it onto his right thigh under his [long] cloth garment. Gomed: a measure between that of a span (tip of thumb to tip of the little finger of a spread hand) and that of a cubit (fingertips to elbow); approximately half a cubit, or 9 to 10.5 inches in length. Aramaic, a cubit in length. On his right thigh: Normally one would lift his outer garment on the left side to show that he was carrying no concealed weapon, as it was assumed one would grasp it with the right hand; in this case he could do so without revealing his weapon.17. And he brought near the tribute to Eglon, king of Mo'av. Now Eglon was a very fat man. Fat: LXX, handsome; this may say something about Greek tastes! He had planned well, making his sword the right length.18. Then after he had finished presenting the tribute, what he did was send away the people who were carrying the tribute, 19. then he himself turned back from the carved images which are near Gilgal and said, "I have a secret to tell you, O king." So he said, "Hush!" And all those who were standing over him went out from him. Carved images: the word can also mean quarries, but as with the bronze serpent Moshe had made, anything with spiritual symbolism tends to be idolized; consider the "relics" of the medieval church. So undoubtedly had turned the twelve stones from the Yarden that were set up as a memorial to YHWH's bringing the Israelites across there had been turned into idols by the Moavites--or Israelites who were influenced by them.20. And Ehud came toward him while he was sitting alone in a roof chamber which he had [in which to] cool off. And Ehud said, "I have a word to you [from] Elohim." So he rose up from upon his throne. Some interpret this roof-chamber as an outhouse. Others see it as a summer house. Note that he did not specify which "Elohim"; the ambiguity served him well here, for Ehud had just come from a high place probably dedicated to Moav's ruling spirits.21. Then Ehud stretched out his left hand and took his sword from on his right thigh, and thrust it into his abdomen. Assassinating a foreign king would not have been necessary had he not been unlawfully living in YHWH's Land. (vv. 13, 19) This assassin presented himself with such wisdom and self-control that no one even thought it necessary to guard the king against him. Of course, anyone bringing a tribute would not be suspected, but welcomed with open arms. The king was also ready to listen to classified knowledge, especially something coming from where his "gods" dwelt. His "secret" did not exist, of course; but as with his training to use his left hand as well as his right, he used his darker side--his "evil inclination"--to serve what was right. He restrained his natural inclination to mercy and took control of his "left" side and thus defeated Israel's enemy. Originally, we did not have to kill anyone or anything, but to get back to the Garden we have to remove evil from the world, and that sometimes involves using what we despise as the way to get back to having no need for it.22. And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade [at the point of entry], because he did not draw the dagger [back] out of his abdomen, and [his] feces came out. The last phrase could also be read as "he (Ehud) exited through the sewer duct", for the word "emergency exit" or "passageway" does have the same root word as "feces", and is often used that way in modern Hebrew. This does seem feasible because of the next verse:23. Now Ehud had gone out to the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof-chamber behind him, and bolted them. Vestibule: or entry corridor. How could he bolt the doors from outside if he had gone out this way? (For the verse could read, "he went out through the vestibule", but he also would not have been unnoticed.) This way no one could tell he had left; it would appear he was still in his conference with the king.24. When he had left, his servants came in and looked, and lo and behold, the doors of the roof-chamber were locked. So they said, "He must be covering his feet in the cooling chamber." Covering his feet: a euphemism for squatting to defecate.25. When they had waited anxiously until they were embarrassed, yet still he was not opening the doors of the roof-chamber, they took the key and opened [them], and there lay their master on the ground, dead. Embarrassed: or, disconcerted. Such a death, lying in his own excrement, brought additional shame to one who undoubtedly expected a glorious burial.26. And Ehud was [able to] slip away while they delayed, and he got past the carved images and escaped to the Seirah. Seirah: "the place of the shaggy goat", but not Mt. Seir, which is much further south in Edom.27. Then when he arrived, what he [did was] blow the shofar in the mountainous region of Efrayim, and the sons of Efrayim went down with him, and he himself was ahead of them. 28. And he told them, "Follow hard after me, because YHWH has given your enemies--Mo'av--into your hand. So they went down after him and captured the fords of the Yarden to Mo'av, and did not let a man cross over. This is the Israelite way of going to war this day: not a leader sending men out, but a leader saying, "Follow me!" They cut off the only local way of escape back to their home, which is where the occupying forces would be expected to head when they heard their king was dead.29. And they struck Mo'av down at that time--about 10,000 men, every one robust and every one a soldier--and not a man escaped. A soldier: or, capable, brave. Despite their wrong cause, the Scripture text gives them honor here because they were willing to fight.30. Thus Mo'av was subdued that day under the hand of Israel, and the Land was quiet eighty years. Subdued: brought low, humbled, brought into subjection--the root word from which Kanaan stems!31. And after him came Shamgar the son of 'Anath, and he beat down the Filistines--600 men--with a cattle prod; thus he, too, delivered Israel. A cattle prod is not very long, so to kill someone with it, he would have had to tie him up first. It would not be very effective on a battlefield. Today we are so separated from the blood and gore that was much more commonly known back then, for they were used to having to butcher their animals themselves, etc. Anciently, people were seen as heroes if they could do what other people could not stomach, and YHWH honors them for it, too. Do not dishonor His name by attaching it to cowards, as is so common within Christianity. Until we are back in Eden, we are on the battlefield, and if there was ever a time we needed heroes, it is now. Do not let distinctions that have no real meaning disarm you. Yes, choose your battles wisely; be sure it is really for YHWH and Israel's sake and for an issue that really matters. Ignore the rest, and they will fade away on their own. Do not let fear rob you of taking the first step, and base your leap of faith confidently on what YHWH has said and done, for then you have a solid foundation--the high ground from which to operate. As YHWH and Moshe told Y'hoshua so often, be strong and courageous! CHAPTER 41. But the descendants of Israel again [began ] to do what was evil in the sight of YHWH when Ehud was dead.Shamgar (3:31) was said to have succeeded Ehud, so this story apparently took place during the days he was judge.2. So YHWH sold them into the hand of Yavin, king of Kanaan, who reigned at Hatzor. And the commander of his army was Sisera, and he [was] living at Kharosheth of the Nations Sold them: When YHWH sells His people, He does not profit by it (Psalm 44:11); it is all for the sake of our learning to obey. Shmu'el singled out this particular "sale" along with that to the Filistines and Moav, but Sisera is the only leader mentioned, and it immediately follows the reference to being freed form Egypt. (1 Shmu'el 12:6-11) So this particular bout of oppression must have been especially significant. Hatzor was the capital of the Kanaanite kingdoms, but was now in Nafthali's territory. Y'hoshua had burned it down, but it had now been refortified as the Kanaanites recovered their strength. Donald Wesley Patten says Sisera was a title, not a proper name. It means "battle array". It appears that Yavin may have been the same, having been said to be the one Y'hoshua conquered (Y'hoshua 11:1); or it may have simply been a dynastic series of several kings with the same name. Considering that the former one had been killed, it is not unlikely that the next king who was able to rise to the throne there would have taken the same name as a symbol of the revival of the city. Kharosheth means "Wood-carving". (Aramaic, strength of the cities of the nations.) Sisera may have been the petty king of this city under Yavin.3. Then the descendants of Israel cried out to YHWH [for help], because he had 900 iron chariots, and he squeezed the descendants of Israel with a strong grip for twenty years. Then: not until they were threatened to the point of knowing they could not stand against this.4. Now D'vorah--a woman, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth--she was the one judging Israel at that time. D'vorah's name means "a bee". Like a queen bee, she led the congregation of Israel. Her husband's name means "torches". He is mentioned to show that though she was a woman in leadership, she was still under the covering of his authority, unlike Jezebel who tried to run things her own way. At that time: This suggests that there was always someone in the position of judge, but at times they were not strong enough to overcome the enemies.5. When she was sitting under the Date Palm of D'vorah, between Ramah and Beyth-El in the mountainous region of Efrayim, the descendants of Israel would go up to her for legal decisions. Date Palm of D'vorah: The Aramaic targum says this was one of several ways she supported herself; the others included gardens, olive trees, troughs, and "white dust". If this is true, she was a Proverbs 31 woman!6. And she sent and summoned Baraq, the son of Avinoam [my father is pleasant] from Qedesh of Nafthali, and said to him, "Hasn't YHWH, the Elohim of Israel, given the order? Go, and continue on to Mount Tavor, and take with you 10,000 men from the sons of Nafthali and from the sons of Z'vulun 7. And I will draw Sisera, commander of the army of Yavin, out to you toward the River Qishon, along with his chariots and his crowd, and I will hand him over to you. The Qishon (meaning "winding") flows along the northern side of Mt. Karmel.8. And Baraq said, "If you will go with me, then I have [already] gone, but if you will not go with me, I will not go." 9. So she said, "I will indeed go with you, only the journey on which you are going will not be to your glory, because YHWH will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman!" Baraq was a great warrior, but to his shame, two women had to do his work. YHWH was no pleased or proud of this diminished "glow". Like a child, he would not go into a frightening situation alone, but for this he would forfeit the credit. In those days it was one of the utmost disgraces for a soldier to be killed by a woman. (See 9:53ff.) Yet in Hebrews 11:32, Baraq rather than D'vorah is mentioned, since he did the actual fighting, and apparently rallied after his initial slow start.10. So Baraq had Z'vulun and Nafthali called to Qedesh, and 10,000 men went up at his feet, and D'vorah did go up with him. 11. Now Khever the Qeynite had separated from the Qeynites of the descendants of Khovav, Moshe's in-law, and had pitched his tent all the way [up] at the Oak at Tsaanayim, which is near Qedesh. Qeynite: See 1:16 for background.12. And it was reported to Sisera, because Baraq the son of Akhinoam had gone up to Mount Tavor. 13. So Sisera called together all his chariots--900 chariots of iron--and all the people who were with him from Kharosheth of the Nations to the River Qishon. 14. And D'vorah said to Baraq, "Rise up, because this is the day YHWH has handed Sisera over to you! Hasn't YHWH gone out ahead of you?" So Baraq [started] down from Mount Tavor with 10,000 men following him. 15. And YHWH confused Sisera [with loud noises], the whole chariot [corps], and all the camp by the mouth of the sword before Baraq. So Sisera got down from [being] upon his chariot, and fled on his feet. Confused: or routed, vexed, noisily crushed. 5:20 tells us that the stars in their courses (or raised-up roadways) fought against Sisera. Donald Wesley Patten thinks this took place in 1296 B.C.E., 108 years after the day the sun "stood still" for Y'hoshua (1404 B.C.E. by some estimates). 108 years was the length of two 54-year cycles between flybys of the planet Me'adim (Mars) when its orbit used to cross over the earth's and wreak havoc by the strong gravitational effect each would have on the other at such times, including tides of magma beneath the earth's crust large enough to form new mountains. Read chapter 5's descriptions of the mountains melting, the river flooding, and the earth quaking in light of this. But if Y'hoshua was approximately 80 years old when he began conquering the land, he had almost 30 years of his life left after that, and 166 years are accounted for in the book of Judges thus far, plus the years the elders who survived Y'hoshua were still alive. If only one of them outlived Y'hoshua by just 20 years, this would be four cycles (216 years) after the "long day" instead, in 1188 B.C.E., or nearly 200 years before the golden era of David and Shlomo. If it was at this time, it would have taken place right at Passover again. At least one chronology places D'vorah at circa 1150 B.C.E., which brings it very close. This is more likely. Before Baraq: or possibly before "lightning" in the generic sense, in correlation with his name. (The northern Kanaanites' concentration of armor, iron chariots, shields, and weapons would make them a magnet for the immense electrical discharges caused by the collision of the two planets' electromagnetic fields.) In 5:22, something mighty or gigantic is described as swooping like cranes or galloping like horses, as the two planets' gravitational pulls made them take rolls and dips out of their normal patterns. Thus YHWH gave Israel the advantage in battle. Interestingly enough, Ba'al is the Phoenician name for Mars, and its two moons were considered its steeds. People knew the patterns, and Sisera probably planned his battle on a date he "knew" he could not lose since Ba'al would certainly uphold his worshippers! YHWH thus used what the Kanaanites worshipped against them!16. But Baraq chased after the chariotry and the encamped body as far as Kharosheth of the Nations, and Sisera's whole camp fell to the mouth of the sword; not as much as one was left, 17. while Sisera escaped on foot to the tent of Yael, the wife of Khever the Qeynite, because there was peace between Yavin, king of Hatzor, and the household of Khever the Qeynite. Yael means an ibex, a wild goat that lives on the desert cliffs of Israel and from whose horns many of the smaller shofars are made. It does not say the peace was a tenuous one, but remember the prophecy that the counterfeit Messiah will destroy many through peace. (Dani'el 8:25) It may be that Khever still remained loyal to Yavin, while his wife had more of a sense of who was in the right and, like Rahav, changed her loyalty. Or the reason Khever separated from his relatives (v. 11) may have been because they had left behind the alliance they once had with Israel, while he retained his. But it may be the opposite--that he abandoned his family to sell himself to the service of the Gentiles.18. So Yael went out to meet Sisera, and she said to him, "Turn in, my master! Turn in to me; don't be afraid!" So he turned aside to her in the tent, and she concealed him with a rug. Rug: or possibly, a tent support, because the word means "upholder" or something leaned on. Aramaic, blanket.19. And he said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, because I have become thirsty!" But she opened a bottle of milk [made from an animal skin] and gave him a drink, then covered him up. Covered up: both to hide him and to let him fall asleep more easily, as the milk would do as well.20. And he told her, "Stand [at] the opening of the tent, and in case anyone should come and inquire of you, and say, 'Is there anyone here?', then you say, 'There is not.'" Anyone: literally, a man. Which man he was afraid of is identified in verse 22.21. Now Yael the wife of Khever took a stake of the tent and put a hammer in her hand, and went to him softly and drove the stake into his temple, then sunk it into the ground. (Now he had been [overcome by a] deep sleep, being exhausted.) And he died. Hammer: literally, a piercer, since it provided the power to pierce with the stake. It appears that her husband was a blacksmith, and this would have been one of the tools of his trade. Softly: or secretly, privately.22. And indeed, Baraq was chasing Sisera down, and Yael came out to meet him, and she told him, "Come, and I will let you see the man whom you are looking for!" So he came in to [where] she [was], and there lay Sisera, dead with the stake in his temple! This is prophetic, especially since it says "the stake" instead of just "a stake". A king would be called a stake (or peg) on which the glory of his ancestor's house would be hung. (Yeshayahu 22:22-24) Z'kharyuah 10:4, in the contact of bright clouds flashing forth with lightning 10:1, (a different term than Baraq, but clearly related), tells us that "the tent-peg" will cover from the tribe of Yehudah. It is a title for the one who sits on the throne of David. Thus of course it applies to the Messiah, except verse 25, which speaks of this king's downfall, for Messiah's kingdom will never end. But Messiah will conquer every oppressor of Israel as this tent-peg did. (Joseph Good)23. Thus Elohim brought Yavin, king of Kanaan, into subjection before sons of Israel. Brought into subjection: a mocking play on words, because it is the root word for Kanaan!24. And the hand of the sons of Israel proceeded to move on and became severe upon Yavin, king of Kanaan, until they had caused Yavin, the king of Kanaan, to be cut off.
A song like this was common after a deliverance (such as the song of Moshe after crossing the Reed Sea in Ex. 15 and David's being spared from Sha'ul in Psalm 18). Moshe's song was remembered and even shows up again in the Kingdom. (Rev. 15:3) These songs were written with catchy tunes so they would be remembered (Deut. 31:19-22), and the same was true of this one, for D'vorah knew well how quick Israel was to forget YHWH's acts. Note that a woman is named before a man; in fact, the verb is only feminine, so Baraq is somewhat of an afterthought here. Such a thing was normally unheard of in the ancient world, but this is part of Baraq's being shamed for not acting immediately on YHWH's command. One Jewish legend says Baraq was another name for Lapidoth, D'virah's husband, which might explain why she feels so free to chide him so heavily.2. "With the leaders acting as leaders in Israel, with the people freely offering themselves, bless YHWH! Leaders acting as leaders: or, loosing of locks of hair. LXX: A revelation was made in Israel when the people were made willing. For a woman in Israel, loosing locks is a revelation, for she normally keeps her hair covered. Freely offering themselves: The first time this term is used in Scripture, it refers to Israel when freshly liberated from slavery and provided with much security by the Egyptians from whom they "borrowed" gold and jewels. None of these people was rich, and they had no prospects for additional income for a long time, yet they gave even more than was necessary to build what today would be a multi-million-dollar tent, because the Kingdom was in it. It was a way of picturing something real but invisible, so they donated readily and voluminously. When YHWH's people are generous and volunteering of heart, it is safe for YHWH to allow revelation to flow to us. But many feared to volunteer for battle until leaders emerged, for in a chaotic battle, who can hope to survive? Several tribes had troops ready before Baraq was ready to lead. They did not have to, because this was really Baraq's responsibility, but they did the right thing when their brothers were in need, and this was a great cause for thanking YHWH, because though they were just doing the duty of decent men, where would we have been without them? There was not a centralized army at this time, so each tribe, and even some households (nobles who could afford to build a battalion of their own as others joined themselves to a strong warrior), would have their own armies, and occasionally, when the threat was especially large as here, they would all join together against a common enemy. We have learned to distrust leaders, especially in a democratic setting, and sometimes with valid reasons, but ultimately a constant distrust for authority is rebellion and lack of trust of YHWH, who put them in place. (Rom. 13:1) The term for leading here means to inscribe laws in stone. It is easy to follow a leader who is liberating us, but when he begins to enact laws, it is much harder to continue to like him.3. "Listen, O kings! Cup your ears, O [weighty] commanders! I belong to YHWH; I myself will sing! I will make music to YHWH, the Elohim of Israel! 4. "O YHWH, when You went out from Seir,
Edom: another name for Esau. (Gen. 36:8) We could see here a prophecy of YHWH removing His presence from Edom (which by Yahshua's time was an idiom for Roma), where it had rested for a short time, at which time water (a Scriptural idiom for YHWH's word) flowed more freely. It may also be a prophecy of the day yet to come when He strides forth from Botzrah (Yeshayahu 63), which is a city in Edomite territory and possibly (since it means "sheepfold", another name for Petra (Sela), which has only one narrow opening like a sheepfold.5. "Mountains melted due to the presence of YHWH, That is, Sinai--from the presence of YHWH, Elohim of Israel. 6. "In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath,
This may refer to the planets leaving their normal courses, but it has the double meaning of Israel's main roads being deserted because of fear to travel openly due to the danger from the oppressing enemies.7. "There ceased to be chiefs in Israel; They had come to an end until I, D'vorah arose, [As] a mother in Israel. Ceased: LXX, failed. Chiefs: or, rural population. It was common, when a foreign army was on the prowl, for those who lived outside of walled cities to move into the cities for shelter. This could be an instance of that.8. "They chose new elohim, Then [there was] battle [at the] gates. If [one] shield or a javelin was seen Among forty thousand in Israel! In choosing pagan elohim, they would have become involved in all sorts of sexual rites with temple prostitutes, both male and female. The men of the armies were no longer effective because they were off having fun, which is why women had to take the initiative in this battle. Israel was neutralized because the enemies made it pleasurable to partake in what they did at their temples. So women had to do it--a cause for anger and much direct shaming of the men seen in this song. Women prefer that their husbands lead, but if they do not, in a crisis, someone has to. She risked her life in voicing all these insults (possibly buffered somewhat by the fact that it was a song), but if the husbands were at all honest, they had to admit she was right. Battle at the gates: a reminder of--again--the women who "assembled as troops" at the entrance to the Tabernacle. (Ex. 38:8) Forty thousand: At the numbering in the wilderness, only Binyamin had a smaller army than this, and now not even one tribe has stood up to fight, like the army who stood shivering at Golyath's challenge before David arrived.9. "My heart [is] for those who engrave decrees [in] Israel, Those among the people who volunteered themselves. Bless YHWH! LXX: My heart [inclines] to the orders given in Israel.10. "You who mount and ride reddish-gray she-asses, Who sit upon extended carpets, As well as you who walk on the road, Ponder! Reddish-gray: or tawny, but from a word meaning to dazzle. Bilaam the prophet was one who rode on one of these female donkeys. (Num. 22:22). A woman going to see another prophet rode one. (2 Kings 4:24) Yahshua rode the foal of one. (Zkh. 9:9) Extended carpets: or, rich cloths, seen by the LXX and Aramaic targum as an idiom for sitting in judgment.11. "[Being delivered] from the noise of those who shoot arrows between the places to draw water, There they will recount the correct [actions] of YHWH, The correct [actions] of His chiefs in Israel! Then the people of YHWH went down to the gates. Those who shoot arrows: LXX, disturbers; seen by the Aramaic targum as toll-booths where those who came to draw water were assaulted and robbed. I.e., they were ambushed at a place they could not avoid coming to.12. "Wake up, rouse yourself, O D'vorah! Wake up, rouse yourself, [intensely] utter a song! Rise up, O Baraq, And lead away your captives, O son of Avinoam! 13. "Then He caused the surviving remnant to subjugate the majestic nobles of a people;
Remnant: the few who were still obedient to YHWH's voice, despite the fact that they still lived in His Land.14. "From out of Efrayim their root came against Amaleq. After you, O Binyamin, among your peoples! Down from Makhir came those who enact decrees, And from Z'vulun those who draw out the reed of the scribe. LXX: Efrayim rooted them out in Amaleq. Who enact decrees: LXX, searching out the enemy. Reed of the scribe: one who recounts or records stories; or possibly, staff of the mustering-officer: or scribe, but verse 18 makes more sense if we read it in a non-military sense. Makhir: the part of Menashe that dwelt east of the Yarden River.15. "And my captains in Yissakhar were with D'vorah; As was Yissakhar, so was Baraq. They were let loose into the valley at his feet! Among the divisions of Re'uven, there were great resolves of heart! Resolves: or decrees, something inscribed or engraved deeply and permanently. LXX: great pangs reached into the heart.16. "Why did you stay between the two sheepfolds? To listen to the bleatings of flocks? Among the divisions of Re'uven, there were great searchings of heart! Sheepfolds: or possibly, saddlebags (in the context of Yissakhar, a possible allusion to Gen. 49:14, the only other place this word is used in Scripture), but more likely a geographical feature. The Aramaic targum interprets it as, "apart from the armies of war, waiting to hear the news, favorable or not… Was it right for you to do this? Did you not know that before Me the thoughts of the heart are revealed?" They were present at the scene of battle, but waiting to see who would prevail before throwing in their lot with the side they knew was right. Note the parallel between the last line here and the last line of v. 15. Actually, the two lines only differ by one letter in Hebrew.17. "Gil'ad sat still across the Yarden. And Dan--why did he remain ships? Asher stayed at the seacoast And sat atop where it broke through . Gil'ad: since Y'hoshua 22:9 says that two and a half tribes inhabited Gil'ad and the other one and a half are already mentioned in this account, it probably refers specifically to Gad in this case. Across the Yarden: The LXX adds, where he pitched his tents. Dan: the portion of the tribe that remained settled on the coast, not the part that established a city less than 15 miles from Hatzor. Where it broke through: possibly Megiddo, which is in Menashe's territory, but not far from Asher's. Note the bitterness in her tone: Shame on you for staying at the beach when your brothers were in danger! But apart from Levi, which had no military responsibilities, Yehudah and Shim'on are conspicuous by their absence from the list. They had a huge territory and were apparently already being seen as a separate kingdom, for they were not held responsible for not showing up. This prefigures our own day when the Northern Kingdom has battles to fight for which we cannot yet expect help from Yehudah.18. "Z'vulun is a people who put their own souls in danger of dying, And Nafthali on the heights of the field. On the other hand, she gives glowing credit where it is due. Those who were scribes (v. 14) and not accustomed to battle risked their lives. They may have even been "battlefield reporters",historians who joined in as soldiers anyway because they knew something had to be done. This would also give the other warriors added courage.19. "Kings came; they battled. Then fought the kings of Kanaan In Taanakh, over the waters of Megiddo. They took no unjustly-acquired silver. LXX: They took no gift of money (i.e., bribe). Taanakh: where the Qishon river flows from Mount Karmel.20. "From the heavens the stars fought; in their courses they fought with Sisera'. The planetary bodies themselves assisted in this victory. (See note on 4:15.)21. "The River Qishon swept them away-- that ancient river, the river Qishon! You can march, my soul! Prevail! Eliyahu also killed the 450 prophets of Baal at the Qishon. (1 Kings 18:40) It is always seen in Scripture in relation to judgment. The root meaning of its name means "to lure, bait, or lay a snare". Before crossing a river in iron chariots, an army would want to be sure no flash floods would be coming, and they would have certainly looked to the west to check the "forecast", because most storms in Israel come in from the Mediterranean. But this took them by surprise. It looked safe to cross, but this storm came out of the south (for Edom is southeast of Israel), hidden from view by Mount Karmel until it was right upon them, and the unpredictability rendered them very vulnerable. The very different weather pattern undoubtedly had to do with the planetary interaction described in verse 20.22. "Then [there were] hoof-beats of a horse From the rushing gallop of their valiant ones. Or, Then the heels of a swallow were hammered by the constant swooping of its wing-motion. (See note on 4:15.) This may be the background for Hebrews 12:1. LXX, When the hoofs of the horse were entangled, they earnestly hastened…23. "'Curse Meroz', said a messenger of YHWH. 'Curse its inhabitants with a curse, Because they did not come to the aid of YHWH-- To YHWH's aid among the heroes! Meroz: a town in northern Israel, which apparently sent no help though they were from the immediate vicinity and thus especially responsible to do their part in guarding Israel.24. "Most blessed from [among] women is Yael, Wife of Khever the Qeynite! Than women in the tent, she is [more] blessed! This was echoed by an angel speaking of Miryam when she is given the word that she is to be Messiah's mother. (Luqa 1:28) In the tent: Aramaic, may she be blessed like one of the women who serve in te houses of study.25. "Water he requested; milk she provided. She brought curds near in a majestic bowl. Curds: Aramaic, cream cheese!26. "She sent forth her hand to the [tent] peg, And her right hand to the laborer's mallet, And she struck Sisera and annihilated his head! Hand: the LXX specifies that it was the left. Tradition says that Sisera was one of the greatest heroes who ever lived, and had conquered the whole known world, and that he brought against Israel all 31 of the kingdoms Y'hoshua had conquered, which Israel had, by our failure to annihilate them, allowed to revive.27. "Between her feet he was brought low, prostrate he lay; Between her feet he collapsed and prostrated. Where he knelt down to rest, there he fell, violently destroyed! Between her feet: or legs. There are many hints of sexual suggestiveness throughout this text, corroborated by Jewish tradition that Yael dressed in lavish garments and pretended to seduce him. She promised him ample "reward" after he got some rest, and he was already planning to take her back to his mother as a wife. (Ginzberg)28. "Through the window she leaned out and looked and shrilly cried out-- The mother of Sisera, through the lattice: 'Why does his chariot delayed in coming?' Lattice: LXX, loophole.29. "The wise among her noblewomen will answer her; she will even bring word back to herself: 30. "'Aren't they finding and dividing out the spoils?
Ginzberg records a tradition of a publicized vision in which Sisera was lying on the bed of a Jewish woman. Of course this was interpreted by his people as meaning she would be his plunder, when in fact it was his deathbed and it was his body that was sent back to his mother instead of his coming back with two new wives. D'vorah may have been adding another bit of sarcasm here by suggesting that he was a "Mama's boy".31. "May all your enemies perish this way, O YHWH While those who love Him [will be] like the sun coming out in its [full] strength!" And the Land had quiet forty years. Tradition says D'vorah ruled shortly after Ruth's time, and that her last words were an exhortation not to depend on the dead who can do no more for the living. She was mourned for seventy days. (Ginzberg)
Midyan was a son of Avraham by Qeturah, and Moshe married a Midyanite woman as well. Mount Sinai is in their territory, but his name means "strife".2. And Midyan's hand was growing strong upon Israel; because of Midyan's presence, the descendants of Israel prepared for themselves the hiding places that are in the mountains, as well as the caves and the strongholds. Hiding places: Aramaic for the Heb., possibly clefts, cut-out places, or dens, but the term is used only here. When men hide from YHWH, they ending up hiding from other men as well. They even started living like animals.3. Now what took place is that if Israel sowed seeds, Midyan, Amaleq, and the sons of the east came up and rose up against them Israel neglected to honor YHWH with their substance, but were preparing their crops for Ba'al, so YHWH no longer let them keep them. YHWH had given Israel fields they had not sown. (Y'hoshua 24:13; Psalm 105:44) Now, when they sowed, others reaped, because they had forsaken Him. Amaleq was the son of Elifaz, grandson of Esau, by his concubine Timnah. (Gen. 36:12) The sons of the east were probably descendants of Avraham's other children (Gen. 25:6), or possibly people who lived wickedly like the majority of those before the Deluge of Noach--or even earlier!4. and camped over them, ruining the produce of the Land until you come to 'Azzah, and they did not leave any sustenance in Israel, whether lamb or bull or donkey, Camped over them: possibly right on top of the crops that had been planted.5. because they came up with their livestock and their tents; they came in like locusts for multitude, and there was no numbering for them or for their camels, and they entered the Land to destroy it. 6. When Israel was laid extremely low due to the presence of Midyan, [some] descendants of Israel cried to YHWH [for help]. Laid low: or made thin, dried up, impoverished; Aramaic, sank very low. He put them in a position that would drive them back to Him because He still loved them. Only then did they get around to YHWH, like a child who is bent on going his own way, yet assumes that when he is in danger, his parent will bail him out. So He "sends them to bed hungry" so they will learn to desire His presence. But a few remembered YHWH and stood in the gap for the rest. This does not mean the rest did not want to be delivered, but we tend to hang onto pieces of other securities even while acknowledging YHWH--just in case we might do something so wrong that He would turn His back on us. (Offering Ba'al's symbol, the bull, is also a picture of turning over our greatest securities to YHWH.) As Israel's greatest deliverance approaches, those who are in the avant-garde, who are clearing a way for the rest to come, need to be sure to do it correctly so the path is one worthy of what YHWH wants to do.7. And it turned out that because descendants of Israel had cried out to YHWH on account of Midyan, 8. YHWH sent a man--a prophet--to the descendants of Israel, and he told them, "This is what YHWH, Elohim of Israel, says: 'I Myself brought you up from Egypt and delivered you out of the slave quarters, 9. "'and I recovered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors, and I drove them away before you and gave you their Land, 10. "'and I told you, "I am YHWH your Elohim. You must not show respect for the elohim of the Emorites, in whose Land you are dwelling." But you have not heeded My voice.'" Before the deliverer, one is sent to prepare the way--a common pattern YHWH used, which fit very well with the custom of sending someone ahead of a king's entourage to make sure the road was cleared and any holes filled in so it was passable. In whose land: YHWH has reassigned ownership of the Land to the people whom Israel had dispossessed, because they had not made it any better, just as the earth was given back to haSatan when Adam disobeyed. Show respect: or fear. If we fear what is not YHWH, we will also lose whatever He has given us. Everything this prophet says is from Moshe; is that who this "messenger" is?11. Then a messenger of YHWH came and sat under the terebinth tree that was at Offrah, which belonged to Yo'ash the Avi-Ezrite, while his son Gid'on was threshing wheat in the winepress to keep it away from the presence of Midyan. Offrah: a town in the western section of Menashe (within the Land of Israel proper), thought to be close to Sh'khem. (But see note on v. 35.) Its name means "a fawn". Avi-Ezrite: "the father of my helper". Gid'on means "the one who really chops down". He showed initiative and determination rather than surrendering to the enemy. The winepress was normally used in a different season, so the Midyanites would not expect anyone to be there at this time, and so were not patrolling this area. Keep it away: cause it to disappear, fly away, or escape.12. When the messenger of YHWH let himself be seen by him, he told him, "YHWH is with you, you capable hero!" Though Gid'on is clearly fearful, the messenger speaks strength into him, motivating him toward what he can become, and where he should be. One who is called a hero is more likely to become one than one who is repeatedly called a failure.13. But Gid'on said to him, "O My Master, if there is a YHWH with us, then why has all this happened to us? And where are all His [extraordinary] wonders that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Didn't YHWH bring us up out of Egypt?' But now YHWH has abandoned us ands yielded us up into the palm of Midyan's [hand]!" Our fathers recounted: as would have been done at Passover. If he is threshing wheat, the Passover season was very recently for him, and there are indications that his father, though possessing an altar to Ba'al, might still have done this for Gid'on as commanded in Ex. 12:26; 13:14. Despite his skepticism that probably arises from desperation, he still shows respect for the one he perceives as his master, since he speaks for YHWH. As with Avraham (Gen. 18:23-32) and Moshe (Num. 14:13-19), those who dare to ask are the ones who get the answers. (Yaaqov/James 4:2) YHWH has not gone anywhere; Israel has.14. Then YHWH turned to face him and said, "Go in this firmness of yours, and you have liberated Israel from the palm of Midyan's [hand]; haven't I sent you?" YHWH was not physically the one speaking, for he could not have withstood His presence. But one's representative had full authority to speak for him, much as someone today with "power of attorney". This firmness: the "brazenness" with which he would speak even to an angel evidenced a stubbornness and determination that would let him see the task He was about to give him through to completion. His cleverness in being able to make things appear to be what they were not (v. 11) would also be instrumental in his victory. Sent you: or, shot you (like an arrow).15. But he said to him, "O My Master, with what can I liberate Israel? Look! My thousand is the lowest in Menashe, and I am the least significant in my father's household." Thousand: the division under a "ruler of a thousand" (Ex. 18:25) which was weakest in influence or wealth. (Compare Mikha 5:2) YHWH sometimes chooses people with such apparent disadvantage to show that it is He who is doing the delivering, not we. Like David, the youngest and least respected in his family, we only have to make ourselves available to Him. This disadvantage would become even more pronounced before YHWH was ready to use Gid'on. But this kind of claim, seen also in Moshe (Ex. 6:30) and King Sha'ul (1 Shmu'el 9:21), seems to be the legal formula for humbly accepting a responsibility one is requested to carry out, saying, in effect, "I am very honored to do this."16. And YHWH said, "Because I will be with you, and you will strike a blow at Midyan as one man." As one man: because they would all be gathered in one place (v. 33)--the most convenient way to defeat them all at once. But the phrase is ambiguous; it could also mean Gid'on's army would act as one man, and both can be true.17. So he said, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then perform a miraculous sign for me [to prove] that [it is really] You [who] are the one speaking to me! Gid'on had grown up without seeing miracles, and her probably did not have a Torah scroll of his own. Battling such an alliance of foes was no matter of child's play, and he needed to know this unusual calling was really YHWH's will. Moshe (Ex. 4:1-8) and David (Psalm 86:17) similarly asked for signs. But in this age, when we have the complete Scriptures and much more history of YHWH's dealings, dare we question Him? In fact, we, the exiled Israelites who are rediscovering our once-lost identity and returning to our covenant with YHWH, ARE the sign that we seek! We don't have to "waste" a goat and matzah; we just need to look in the mirror to know He is working.18. "Please don't depart from this [spot] until my coming to you--when I have brought out my tribute and set it down in front of You." So He said, "I will stay until you return." 19. So Gid'on went [inside] and prepared a kid of the she-goats along with unleavened bread [baked from] an eyfah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth he put in a pot, and brought it toward Him under the terebinth [tree] and presented [it]. Eyfah: a dry measure equal to three se'im (the same amount Avraham told Sarah to prepare for the angels in Gen. 18:6; Gid'on must have remembered this was an appropriate amount to offer to YHWH. That he did it himself suggests that he had no wife yet.) It is also equivalent to ten omers, each omer representing a person (Ex. 16:16), and ten of them making a full congregation (based on Gen. 18:32). The modern equivalent is about 20 liters. That it was unleavened either speaks of his haste, or the season of the year, or both. He also knew that no leaven is to be offered on YHWH's altar, according to the Torah, but each meat offering had its corresponding grain offering(s). The root words for "kid of the goats" mean "a firm river bank". The root word behind "broth" is "to scour or polish". The word for "meat" is the root word for "glad news" as well, so he is offering a whole congregation that has been scoured clean as well as the glad news about a river bank--the place we see the symbol of the righteous planted in Psalm 1:3 and where we find the Tree of Life in Rev. 22:2--i.e., the Kingdom. A firm river bank also keeps the water from overflowing its boundaries, as Israel had been doing.20. Then the messenger of Elohim said to him, "Take the meat and the matzoth and rest them on the cliff over yonder, and pour out the broth." And he did so. Cliff: possibly a river bank where this great tree stood; the messenger may have been acknowledging the underlying meaning of Gid'on's gifts by responding with the same imagery as in v. 19.21. Then the messenger of YHWH stretched forth the end of the walking stick that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened [loaves], and the fire rose up from [out of] the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened [loaves], and the messenger of YHWH went from his sight. Walking stick: or staff, but the word means "to support". It is not the same word used for Moshe's rod, but this does not mean it cannot be a synonym, letting this messenger represent Moshe, for he is bringing Israel back to the Torah. Spielberg might outdo these effects today, but this is not entertainment. This is not just history; it is still alive. When you encounter the Torah, expect everything to change. We have not read it properly if we are not affected by it.22. And Gid'on perceived that he [indeed] was the messenger of YHWH, and Gid'on said, "Alas, My Master YHWH! Because that means I have seen the Angel of YHWH face to face!" Did he know because of his father's name, which means "YHWH is a fire"? Seeing YHWH face to face would mean certain death for him, based on Exodus 33:20.23. But YHWH told him, "Peace to you! Don't be afraid; you won't die." Was this "messenger of Elohim" (v. 20) different from the "messenger of YHWH" (v. 11)? If so, that could be how YHWH still spoke to him after the latter messenger had already left. Otherwise, it may just be that his judging side was now what was being emphasized. Peace: well-being, completeness; Heb., shalom.24. So Gid'on built an altar there to YHWH and called it "YHWH is Shalom." It is still in Offrah of the Avi-Ezrite to this day.
Seven-year-old: the term for age does not appear in the text; Aramaic, that has been fattened up for seven years. Goddess-image: or grove; Heb, asherah. Ba'al means "husband", and this other image, suffice it to say, functioned as his "wife". Exodus 34:13 had made tearing down any pagan altar in the Land a standing command, but Gid'on was doing this only in his area of jurisdiction. This is one example of what it means to "not show respect for the elohim of the …Land." (v. 10) Would he be dishonoring his father with such an act? The truest way to honor our parents is to obey YHWH, and to respect the part of his practice that dishonored YHWH would actually be showing respect for the elohim of the Emorites. Our parents also have built altars that we must pull down.26. When you have built an altar to YHWH on top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, then take the second bull and [offer] up and ascending [offering] will the pieces of wood [from] the goddess-image that you will have cut down. Stronghold: a different term than that used in verse 2; it is actually related to the term for "she-goats" in verse 19. It seems to refer to the old altar that he tore down. But now it was taken, because the illusion of idols was the only thing that gave it any perceived power. In an orderly manner: possibly in contrast to the way pagan altars were built, but in any case, YHWH likes things done in order. He tells the priests to lay the wood in order on His altar (Lev. 1:7) and His table (Ex. 40:4) and set the lamps in His sanctuary in order (Ex. 39:27). But here, order might not mean straight lines; the altar YHWH wants is of stones unaffected by human tools. (Ex. 20:25) He is also acting in a priestly manner by offering a bull, and by offering a goat for Israel's atonement as at Yom Kippur.27. So Gid'on took ten men from among his servants and did just as YHWH had spoken to him. But rather than doing it by day, when he was afraid [to because] of his father's household and the men of the city, it was at night that he did it. Ten men: symbolic of a sufficient number for a whole congregation, based on Gen. 18:32. He saw no point in getting himself killed before he accomplished his mission; though it would become obvious soon enough who did it, he would present it to them as an already-accomplished fact before they could do anything to stop it. It was common for such a shrine to be some distance from the dwelling place, explaining why no one heard all this noise. 28. Early in the morning when the men of the city were getting up, lo and behold, the altar of Ba'al had been torn down, the goddess-image that was over it had been cut off, and the second bull had been offered on the restructured altar! Early morning: They were probably coming to worship the sunrise in typical pagan fashion. (Y'hezq'el 8:16) A bull was Ba'al's symbol, so by slaughtering it here, he was "burning Ba'al" himself along with his "consort".29. And [each] man said to his fellow, "Who has done this thing?" And they made and inquiry and searched [it out], and were saying, "Gid'on, the son of Yoash, has done this thing!" Did one of his father's ten servants give him away?30. So the men of the city said to Yoash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, since he has torn down the altar of Ba'al and cut off the goddess-image that was on it!" 31. But Yoash said to all who took their stand against him, "Will you plead Ba'al's case, as if you could bring about deliverance for him? Whoever contends for him will be dead by morning! If he is an elohim, let him plead his own case, because someone has torn down his altar!" Plead his case: Aramaic, take revenge for. Executed by morning: If Ba'al (may his name be blotted out) was on YHWH's hit list, anyone who sided with him would be targeted by Him as well. But he himself is threatening to personally kill anyone who dares to kill his son for the sake of a deaf and dumb statue, for if anyone is caught worshipping another elohim, he must be executed according to Torah. Yoash apparently had some latent fear of YHWH in him which revived when his own son began to overcome his fears and dare to obey. This set his father free to ridicule Ba'al as well.32. So on that day he was called "Yerub-ba'al", [that is] to say, "Let Ba'al plead his own case", since he [was the one who] had torn down his altar. An alternate way to read his name, in order not to pronounce the name of Ba'al aloud, is Yerub-besheth--"let the shameful thing plead its case". Ba'al is used in a generic sense in Hebrew to mean "husband" or "owner", but, like Gad, which was also a tribe of Israel, according to Ex. 23:13 it should not be pronounced when it refers to the name of another elohim, which was the case here. 33. Then all of Midyan, Amaleq, and the sons of the east assembled in unity and crossed over and camped in the Valley of Yizre'el. The valley: Amaleq's kind of territory, for its name means "valley-dweller"--one who prefers the low places over the heights. The "sons of strife" were in league with these predatory people who attack the weak who cannot keep up with the rest. (Deut. 25:17-18) The Valley of Yizre'el is the widest valley in Israel, the only passage that runs all the way from the Yarden River to the Mediterranean (north of Mount Karmel and south of the Galil. It is vast enough to support such a huge number, so this is a foreshadowing of a day that is yet to come when all the armies of the earth will gather in it, near Megiddo, as a staging point from which to attack Yerushalayim. (Rev. 16:16)34. But the spirit of YHWH clothed Gid'on, and he gave a blast with the shofar, and Avi-Ezer was summoned [to come] after him. The shofar: a ram's horn trumpet that was the Israelite call to war. Clothed: Avi-Ezer: a larger clan than Gid'on's immediate family and even than his "thousand" among the tribe of Menashe. (Y'hoshua 17:2) It means "my father is a help", correlating with the word for "summoned" here, which means to call to one's aid. This is a picture of the army that is raised from the dead to come to the assistance of those of Israel "who are alive and remain" but are having great difficulty bringing the "one new man" to the birth (Yeshayahu 26:17-19; Y'hezq'el 37:1-14) because they are outnumbered by the armies of the world that unite against Israel.35. And he sent messengers to all of Menashe, and he too, was summoned [to come] after him. And he sent messengers into Asher, Z'vulun, and Nafthali, and they came up to meet them. These four tribes all border on or have territory within the Valley of Yizre'el. But this begs the question: why was Yissakhar, whose territory constitutes half of that valley, not called as well? Yissakhar was among those ready to fight for D'vorah in 5:15. Since these foreign armies would have entered Israel through Yissakhar's territory first, it may be that the need to assist was simply too obvious to them, so that no one needed to summon them. Or were they decimated by the armies entering the Land? The exact site of Gid'on's hometown is not known. Four possibilities have been located based on the Arabic names of the tels, but none of them has turned up Hebrew inscriptions to identify the towns. Two of them are in the heart of Yissakhar's territory, quite close to the place Gid'on camped (7:1), though it is unlikely he would live in another tribe's territory. It may be simply because Yissakhar had been so prominent in the attack under D'vorah (5:15) that YHWH did not want those whom it would make sense to call, so that none but He would receive the credit. He does not choose those the world thinks He "needs". Gid'on knew he could trust Z'vulun and Nafthali, because they had risked their lives, though in military prowess they were misfits. Also, Makhir, the family of Menashe with military fame, was not called, but only Gid'on's obscure clan. This time Asher did come, but they had not proven reliable under Baraq.36. Then Gid'on said to Elohim, "If You are there to liberate Israel by my hand, as you have promised, 37. "look here! I myself am putting the woolen fleece on the threshing-floor. If there will be dew on the fleece alone, with all the ground dry [as drought], then I will know that You will liberate Israel by my hand, as You have promised." Know: or, acknowledge.38. And so it was: when he got up early and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung out dew from the fleece--a [whole] bowl full of water! 39. But Gid'on said to Elohim, "Don't let Your anger be kindled on me, and I will speak only this [one] time. Please let me put it to the test just this once with the fleece. Please let the fleece alone be dry, and let there be dew on all the ground." He quotes Avraham's manner of "arguing" with YHWH over the destruction of S'dom. He reversed the scenario completely to be sure it had not just been a coincidence or possibly some natural phenomenon unique to that place; it had to be something even his own experience had shown to be unlikely, because the stakes of his attacking such a huge army seemed suicidal if he was not sure YHWH was really with him. Yet he had received his miracle prior to this; his doubt was not about YHWH, but about himself. He knew he had to be willing to pay the price for being wrong in order to get credit for success, but he realized the extreme honor it was to have four tribes following his orders, and he may also have wanted to make sure he had not taken this honor for himself, since it was now more than just his own clan he was putting at risk. This vivid display (v. 38) was more to demonstrate to the armies he had called together that YHWH was truly behind him. This would build both their confidence in YHWH and their trust in him as their commander. Of course, the 32,000 men who reported would not all be watching at his threshing floor, but only their leaders. The other army was probably doing its chest-baring during these two days, making lots of noise and challenging them as Golyath would, buying him the time to carry out this test fully.40. So Elohim did so; that night there was dryness on the fleece alone, while on all the ground there was dew. YHWH was patient with him and did not let his words fall to the ground, giving him a second witness as well. But He would also make the odds even more impossible to show that there is indeed an Elohim in Israel…
2. But YHWH told Gid'on, "The people who are with you are too many for me to hand Midyan over to, lest Israel should boast of itself over Me, saying, 'My hand has brought me deliverance!' YHWH says He will not share His reputation with another. (Yeshayahu 42:8; compare Deut. 8:11-17)3. "So now, please call out in the hearing of the people, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him turn back and wend around the mountains of Gil'ad.' So 22,000 of the people went back, and there were 10,000 left. This was standard preparation for an Israelite battle. (Deut. 20:8-9) Trembling: indeed the same root word as Harod, and it may have been named after this incident. The enemies of YHWH should not be over-respected. Gil'ad is actually across the river from where he was. Wend around: The term includes the sense of taking cover; they could depart without being seen from the enemy camp, and this way, the enemies, who had seen 32,000 people assembling, would think they were all still there. They could get back to their homes, which were on the other side of the enemy camp. The Hebrew root words for 22 mean "a dual doubling over", suggesting the idea of excess, because these were the men who would only prove to be extra baggage, and would need to be babysat rather than actually contributing to the morale of the other soldiers. So YHWH "circumcised" this army by doing away with the useless part. Now they saw themselves as capable and were ready to get somewhere!4. Then YHWH said to Gid'on, "The people are still [too] many. Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Now of whomever I tell you, 'This one will go with you', he must go, and everyone of whom I tell you, 'This one will not go with you', he may not go." Test: or sift, refine, remove the dross from the top. In the context of a river, He is panning for gold. YHWH does not need numbers, and sometimes they just get in His way. It was obvious when Moshe was alone that he was glowing from having been in YHWH's presence; crowds would have obscured him. So YHWH sifts yet again, refining His army like flour so they can become "one bread" (v. 13). 5. So he brought the people down to the water, and YHWH told Gid'on, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue as a dog laps, you must set alone, then everyone who bends down on his knees to drink." 6. And the number of those who lapped with their hand to their mouth was 300 men, and all the rest of the people bent down on their knees to drink water. He probably thought he would only lose the 300 men this time. But he did not know YHWH very well yet!7. And YHWH told Gid'on, "With the 300 men who lapped, I will liberate you, and I will give Midyan over into your hand, so you can let all the people go, [each] man to his own place." Why did YHWH like this better? The difference is their approach. By bringing their hand to their mouth, they would be examining the water before they drank it, and no dead or decayed matter floating in it would escape their notice. Since water is a picture of YHWH's word (Efesians 5:26), this is an analogy of studying carefully for ourselves before we internalize it instead of just accepting others' word for it, to be sure none of man's doctrines have been mixed in with it, fouling it. They would also see their faces in it, Those who bent down on their knees and put their faces right in the water would not see what was coming with the water, and also would not be as alert to a possible enemy approach either, and could be more easily pushed right into the water, or simply killed. They knelt down; they had a "religious experience", but the Torah is not religion, but a social law for a people. It is not to be worshipped, but looked into intensely to see what we are meant to be, and how we actually look in comparison to the standard. (Yaaqov/James 1:22-27) It still applies to us, not just these people thousands of years ago. We are meant to bring it back up from our knees and have a "relationship experience" with YHWH because of it. He still uses it to sift our priorities so we no longer bow down to the wrong things.8. So the people took [the] provisions [that were] in their hand along with their shofars, and he sent every man of Israel away, each to his tent, but he kept hold of the 300 men, and the camp of Midyan was below him in the valley. Kept hold of: retained with a firm grip. He ended up with less than 1% of the available army, but now they were no longer fearful. There was a change in perspective: now the enemy was no longer "to the north"--in the hidden place, as the Hebrew connotes--but beneath them. He also kept the shofars belonging to all 320 of the captains among those who left, because he would need almost all of them. Also, the food that would have strengthened them to fight was given to those who would actually now do the fighting.
10. "But if you are afraid to go down, go down into the camp with your young [servant] Furah. Afraid: But had he not just culled out all the fear? He knew from Israel's past experience that if he were going to "spy out the Land", he dare not bring back an evil report to his fellows. In this case, the danger would be in going alone, and YHWH recognized that and "understood his frame, remembering that he was dust". He even encouraged him by sending along a man whose name means "he has been made fruitful", to plant the seed thought in his mind that could grow into a conviction that his endeavor would not be fruitless. Everyone who knew Gid'on's fearful tendencies would recognize that the credit went not to him but to YHWH. He does not choose by our logic; it was not the seminary-trained expert or the one who followed without asking questions who was called, but a man who still had doubts that he was actually hearing from YHWH. But there would now be no doubt who won the battle.11. "After you hear what they are saying, your hand will indeed grow resolute so you can go down against the camp." So he and his young [servant] Furah started down to the outer edges of those who were aligned [for battle] by fives in the camp. 12. Now Midyan and Amaleq and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley, as numerous as the locusts, and there was no numbering for their camels--as numerous as the sand that is on the shore of the sea! 13. When Gid'on arrived, indeed, a man was recounting a dream to his fellow, and he said, "Look here! I had a dream, and lo and behold, a round loaf of bread [made from] barley grains came tumbling into the camp of Midyan, and when it got to the tent, it hit it and it fell down, and the tent turned upside down when it fell!" The round loaf reminds us of a stone smoothed out by the water and unmarred by human tools, like the one who lets YHWH's Word rather than men's doctrines shape him. The root word for "round" even means "sunken or submerged", like a river stone. This correlates with the "stone cut without hands" in Nevukhadnetzar's vision. (Dan. 2:34) The only other place in Scripture this term for "round" is used is in Ex. 15:10, which speaks of the Egyptian army sinking like lead in the Reed Sea--another connection that would subconsciously encourage Gid'on. Barley grains: literally, barleys--a plural form, reminding us that the single loaf is made up of many individual parts that have been taught to adhere to one another, but not to the flesh, through all the sifting. (The priests in the Temple sifted the wheat used for the supplementary offerings would sift it 13 times, and the final test would be that none of it stuck to him when he plunger his hands into it.) Again, this suggests that this took place during the barley harvest, which falls between Passover and Shavuoth, during the time we count the days in a way to remind us to be more fruitful. Thus the wheat that he was threshing had to be old wheat that had been stored, for the Torah does not permit us to eat of the new grain before the firstfruit tribute is skinned off the top. The tent: singular, indicating the main tent in the camp, which would correlate with Israel's tabernacle. Yithro (whose name means "his abundance") was a priest of Midyan (which means strife or confusion). Tradition says he had tried all religions, and therefore had a mixture of practices due to the influence from so many. What could be a better picture of the state of Christianity today? A unified loaf of bread would destroy their place of study and worship. Note that only Midyan's tent is mentioned; it will take all of Israel to destroy Amaleq, and Yehudah is mentioned nowhere in this account.14. And his companion replied, "This is none other than the sword of Gid'on the son of Yoash, a man of Israel; the Elohim has handed Midyan and the whole camp over to him!" None other than: literally, "This is nothing except if it is…" 15. Now when Gid'on heard the recounting of the dream and its interpretation, what he did was prostrate himself [in worship]. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, "Get up, because YHWH has given the army of Midyan into your hand!" Interpretation: literally, breaking open.16. Then he split the 300 men up [under] three heads, and he put shofars and empty jars in the hands of every one of them, with torches inside the jars. The jars would have held their provisions (v. 8) This was common practice for perishable foods.17. And he told them, "Watch me and do the same thing [I do]. And look here! When I arrive at the outskirts of the encampment, you must do just what I do: 18. "When I and all who are with me give a blast with the shofar, then you must blow the shofars too, all around the camp [on every side], and say, 'For YHWH and for Gid'on!'"
At the time of the greatest instability in the camp, when the outgoing guards were bleary-eyed from exhaustion, most of the soldiers were in their deepest sleep, and the new guards had just arrived and were still disoriented, they used the element of surprise, waking them up them with sudden loud noises. The shattering jars might even sound like horse-drawn chariots jostling toward them. While they eyes were still accustomed to the darkness, they would not be able to see past the glaring lights to tell that there were not 100 more men with each torchbearer as usual.20. Then the three companies gave a blast on the shofars, shattered the jars, and gripped the torches tightly with their left hands, with the shofars in their right hands [ready] to sound, and they called out, "A sword for YHWH and for Gid'on!" Yet no mention is made of them having taken swords, and with their hands full, how would they wield them? YHWH had arranged to provide the swords from a different source, like the ram in Genesis 22.21. And each took his place and stood all around the camp, and the whole army ran to escape, shrieking [with distress]. They would have spread out at set intervals. Being entirely surrounded, where could the enemy run but toward the middle of the camp--or straight into the sword of the attackers?22. When the 300 sounded the shofars, YHWH had set [each] man's sword against his fellow, and in the whole camp, and the army fled as far as the place of the acacia tree in Tz'rerah on the brink of Avel-M'kholah [the meadow of dancing] above Tabbath [the celebrated place]. The enemy knew that normally in Israel, a company consisted of 100 men. Only one man in 100 would have a trumpet or a torch, so the 300 men would appear to an experienced army to be 30,000--nearly the very number Gid'on had started with, and now none of them was superfluous. Tz'rerah: possibly an alternate spelling for Tz'redah, meaning a fortress. Avel-M'kholah was the name of the town in Yissakhar where Elisha would later be born. There was another town with the same name in Menashe's territory right along the Yarden south of Beyth-She'an, and this could be the place the text is referring to, because it is not far north of the place referred to in verse 24.23. Then the men of Israel were summoned from Nafthali, Asher, and all of Menashe, and chased after Midyan, These may have been the same men Y'hoshua had sent home earlier, for they come from all but one of the same tribes originally called up. (6:35) They would not yet have gotten back to their homes, but would have camped on the way home, as only one night has passed since he sent them away. Having been honest about their fears, YHWH may have been allowing them a second occasion to get involved--but not as firstfruits, but just to help with the "mop-up". But Z'vulun is not called up this time. Oncethe battle was fought, all of Israel got involved. This tells us that today we do not have to be discouraged by the slackness of the 99%--the other Messianics who sit on the sidelines, the "Hebrew-Roots" students who keep one foot in the church, or those still mired in the lightheadedness of Christianity, not even knowing they are really Israel. Only after we complete the task of blazing the trail--when the watering-places are taken back--will YHWH call the rest back in to drink the waters and share the fruits of victory.24. and Gid'on sent messengers all throughout the mountains of Efrayim to say, "Come down to meet Midyan and hold the waters for them as far as the ford, that is, of the Yarden. And every man of Efrayim was mustered, and they held the waters as far as the ford, that is, of the Yarden. Those in Efrayim would close the final escape route to the south. The Aramaic targum says "the house of Efrayim", which would actually then include all ten tribes of what would later become the Northern Kingdom. Hold the waters for them: i.e., bar them from crossing over. The ford: literally, place of crossing over (Beyth-barah, probably a variant for Beyth-Avarah, the place Yochanan witnessed Yahshua's immersion, according to Yochanan 1:28). This is the way they would try to escape, being the way they had entered the Land (6:33). Hold the waters: or, take the watering-places. This is a picture of gaining control over the places where people are taught.25. And they captured the two leaders of Midyan, Orev ["raven"] and Ze'ev ["wolf"]. And they killed Orev at the Rock of Orev, and Ze'ev they killed at the wine-vat of Ze'ev. And they chased [the rest all the way] to Midyan, and they brought the head of Orev and Ze'ev to Gid'on from across the Yarden. Their names show them to be unclean and predatory. Note that only one head seems to be shared between these two men! A raven will feed on dead animals, as we see in the story of Noach. It feeds off the dead--a picture of Roma, which builds its churches over tombs, and in whose iconography Yahshua's death means everything; the resurrection is somewhat of an afterthought. Efrayim must behead it; it is not Yehudah's place to do so, for they have no stake in it. Efrayim must become "one bread" and knock over the place of learning they have set up. We can only take down the preachers of strife and confusion if we have the proper approach to Torah study. Midyan's territory was all the way down near Mount Sinai, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, the "right" fork of the Reed Sea, in what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia--approximately 200 miles to the south!
They did not understand that it was YHWH's choice, not his, to limit the size of his army. He actually did summon Efrayim, but not until the mop-up stage of the battle (7:24), and this was perceived as a slight.2. So he said to them, "What have I done now compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Efrayim better than the vintage of Avi-Ezer? Gleanings…vintage: Aramaic, weak ones…strong ones.3. "Into your hands Elohim has given the princes of Midyan--Orev and Ze'ev! So what was I able to do in comparison to you?" Then their spirit dropped back from [being] against him, when he said this thing. The background story is in 7:24-25. Dropped back: relaxed, abated, went slack, refrained from. Note how tense relations between different tribes already were, that even what should have been seen as glad news would become a cause for near war between brothers. Whether he was simply humble or was wisely opting not to let internal strife begin after the external threat had been removed, the net result was placation:4. When Gid'on arrived at the Yarden [and] was crossing over--he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet continuing the chase, 5. he said to the men of Sukkoth, "Please provide round loaves of bread for the people who are at my feet, because they are exhausted--and I am chasing after the kings of Midyan, Zevakh and Tsalmuna'." Zevakh means "slaughter" and Tsalmuna' means "deprived of [the protection of] a shadow.6. But the leaders of Sukkoth said, "Is the foot of Zevakh and Tsalmuna' already in your hand, that we should give your army bread?" 7. So Gid'on said, "Because of this, when YHWH has given Zevakh and Tsalmuna' into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briars!" Tear: Aramaic and LXX, thresh. Prverbs 19:29 says stripes are prepared for the backs of fools. Now Gid'on is beginning to be fed up with what Israel is turning out to be like.8. And he went up from there to P'nu-El, and spoke to them in this same way, but the men of P'nu-El answered him just like the men of Sukkoth had answered. He was retracing Yaaqov's steps from Sukkoth, where he built houses and cattle shelters (so Gid'on would expect a place of hospitality) to the place where he had his "wrestling match". (P'nu-El means "its face to YHWH",and was the place where Yaaqov's name was changed to Israel, so he undoubtedly expected the townspeople to be about seeking YHWH's face and serving the rest of Israel. He was greatly disappointed.) This same way: i.e., asking for provisions. These two towns were in the tribal territory of gad, across the Yarden, where their not-so-distant ancestors had been concerned that they would not be counted as separate from Israel (Y'hoshua 22:10ff), but now they were unwilling to support Israel's army. Their ancestors' concern proved a valid one.9. So he spoke likewise to the men of P'nu-El, saying, "When I return in peacetime, I will tear down this tower!" 10. Now Zevakh and Tsalmuna' were in Qarqor [dug-out foundation] and their [armie]s encamped with them--about 15,000, all who were left of the whole camp of the sons of the east (while those who fell were 120,000 men who draw the sword). 11. So Gid'on went up [by] the way of those who dwell in tents east of Novakh and Yaugb'hah, and started attacking the camp, because the camp was at ease. At ease: sitting securely, in careless confidence and bold assurance that they were safe. This was the perfect time to attack. We must therefore beware when we are at ease. (Amos 6:1; Yeshayahu 32:9ff)12. When Zevakh and Tsalmuna' escaped, he chased after them and captured the two kings of Midyan, Zevakh and Tsalmuna', and he made the whole camp tremble. Prior to this, Gid'on and his armies were the ones trembling, but now it is the enemies' turn.13. When Gid'on the son of Yo'ash returned from the battle by the Ascent of Kheres, By the Ascent of Kheres: Aramaic, before the sunrise.14. he captured one of the younger men of Sukkoth and interrogated him, and he was [describing] to him in writing the leaders of Sukkoth, as well as its elders--77 men. He made sure he got a complete list, so he would be certain that no one missed his thrashing.15. So he came to the men of Sukkoth and said, "Behold Zevakh and Tsalmuna', about whom you railed at me, saying, 'Is the foot of Zevakh and Tsalmuna' already in your hand, that we should give your exhausted men bread?'" Railed: taunted or exposed (as they had sent him on his way without giving him a covering).16. And he took hold of the elders of the city and some thorns of the wilderness and briars, and he made it known to the men of Sukkoth. Made it known: or, taught; literally, made them know [it]. It seems he wanted the rest of the town to see their leaders chastised for not acknowledging the authority YHWH had given him. This was correcion, not punishment, they it probably felt like it. The purpose was different; he was teaching them why they should have acted differently. They had acted like children, so he treated them as such.17. Then he tore down the tower of P'nu-El and killed the men of the city. He kept his promise and more. Had they already known what he had said to the men of Sukkoth when he initially approached them? Did he go too far, or should it have been enough that YHWH had proven He was with Gid'on and that the word had already spread far enough that these men should have trusted and supported him? We will see below that Israel deserved this treatment. Why did he do worse to them than to those in Sukkoth? He may have been getting progressively bolder, as he stepped into the authority YHWH had given and saw YHWH confirm it, for he was no longer the timid man we saw earlier. He now appears a natural warrior like David even before he was king. But he also may have been getting more and more exasperated with just how unlike the Israel revealed in the Torah his countrymen actually were. Yet if a young man in Sukkoth could write, it told Gid'on it was a town capable of learning and therefore teachable, whereas P'nu'El was sitting in its own strength.18. Then to Zevakh and Tsalmuna' he said, "What were the men that you killed at Thavor like?" And they said, "They were just like you--[each] one looked like a king's son!" Like a king's son: because Israelites may have all been wearing some form of t'fillin on their heads, even when going about their daily business, literally following the command to bind YHWH's word like "frontlets" between our eyes. (Deut. 6:8; 11:18) This must have appeared to these kings to be a decoration similar to a crown. He also gave us tzitziyoth to remind us who we are (Num. 15:38-39), whether others recognize it or not. But it seems there was some unique form of garment that only Gid'on's family wore, for he identified them immediately:19. And he said, "They [were] my brothers--sons of my mother! [By the] life of YHWH, if only you had kept them alive, I would not have killed you!" 20. Then he told Yether, his firstborn, "Stand up and kill them!" But the lad did not draw his sword, because he was afraid, since he was still young. Yether means abundance, excellence, or overflow.21. And Zevakh and Tsalmuna' said, "You get up and strike us, because as the man is, so is his bravery!" So Gid'on rose up and killed Zevakh and Tsalmuna', and took the moon-shaped ornaments that were on their camels' necks. As the man is…i.e., he is only as strong as he proves himself to be. Moon-shaped: specifically a crescent like the symbol of Islam today, showing how ancient the moon-worship was that Muhammad made into the exclusive religion of his followers. It was very common in the Arabian peninsula, which is where Midyan is located.22. Then the men of Israel told Gid'on, "Govern us, both you and your son and your son's son, because you have rescued us from the hand of Midyan!" 23. But Gid'on told them, "I can't rule over you, nor can my son rule over you; YHWH must rule over you!" This sounded like a great honor, but like Moshe, he was already having a hard time putting up with the attitudes of this people. He also saw clearly what Shmu'el saw--that YHWH was meant to be Israel's only king (1 Shmu'el 8:7; 10:19)--at least until the tenth generation from Yehudah. (Gen. 49:10; compare Gen. 38; Deut. 23:2) Israel was already wanting to put a man in YHWH's place, and here is a man who has had direct contact with YHWH, so what better candidate was there?24. Then Gid'on said to them, "I will make a request of you: that each [of you] give me a ring [from] his spoils. (Because they had gold rings since they were Yishmaelites.) 25. And they said, "Of course we will give [them to you]!" So they spread out a garment and each threw a ring there from his plunder. Since they were already willing to make him king, they could hardly refuse him a much lesser request!26. And the weight of the gold rings that he had requested came to 1,700 sheqels of gold, apart from the moon-crescents, pendants, and purple cloaks that were on the kings of Midyan, and besides the necklaces that were on their camels' necks. 27. So Gid'on fashioned it into an efod and exhibited it in his city--in Offrah--but all of Israel started whoring after it there, and it came to be a snare to Gid'on and his household. Efod: an outer shoulder-garment worn by the high priest (Ex. 25:8), somewhat like a reversed work-apron worn over the same type of white linen garment all priests wore, and fastened at the front to keep his other garments (a full-length robe worn next to the skin and a short-sleeved, fringed tunic over it) in place so it all fit close to his body; the Septuagint (LXX) emphasizes that it had shoulder-straps. There was no man in this one, so he was not trying to co-opt the true priesthood, which, though not to be worshipped, is to be respected and obeyed. Snare: something that lured or baited one into a trap. We are not told how, but he does not overtly repudiate it. It was not designed to be an idol, but Israel has a penchant for turning relics of YHWH's past dealings into idols. Like the bronze snake that Moshe had made, he probably began to see it as more trouble than it was worth once Israel began to worship it. Did he also destroy it as Moshe had? Though Gid'on did not intend this outcome (it was just a war memorial to him), the scenario sounds too close to the golden calf incident for comfort. It reminded people of YHWH, or He would not have put up with it. The same pattern exists in Christians' worship of Yahshua. Again, the Reformation brought many improvements, yet the disconnection from idolatry was not complete, and the door was left open for idol worship in a more subtle form to make a comeback. While it is not Ba'al worship, it still incldues worship of something related to YHWH which is still not Him.28. But Midyan was humbled before the descendants of Israel, and they did not [dare to] lift their heads again. Thus the Land had quiet for forty years in the days of Gid'on. Undoubtedly, due to the precedent Gid'on set with Sukkoth and P'nu-El, none of the Israelite cities or tribes dared to raise its head against Gid'on from within either!29. Now Y'rub-Ba'al the son of Yo'ash went and stayed at his own house, It is almost as if he retired from his public office. He seems disillusioned by Israel's lack of responsiveness, and prefers to go into seclusion rather than govern a people he sees as hopelessly lacking in zeal. What is there to motivate him? Did he also retire from his opposition to the "shameful thing", leaving the door open for idolatry to smolder under the surface?30. and Gid'on had 70 sons that came out from his thigh, because he had many wives. Many wives: He seems to have had only one before his victory, for he had a firstborn son, but it is possible that this wife had even died, since he did not send a wife to bake the bread for the messenger of YHWH, as Avraham had. But now that he was a hero, the whole nation would be wanting to marry off their daughters to him. Note the contrast in the use of the two names.31. His concubine also, who was in Sh'khem, even she bore him a son, and she made his name Avimelekh. Here is another reason it is thought that Offrah was close to Sh'khem. Avimelekh means "my father is a king", despite the fact that Gid'on repudiated this title. This was also the name of a dynasty of Filistine kings, so the intent is unmistakable. But we will find that this predisposed this son to think of himself as royalty, undoubtedly encouraged by his mother, who despite her lower status than a wife, considered herself very important because of her association with Gid'on. A concubine's son was not illegitimate, as one of Yaaqov's servant-girls who was given to him to bear children was called a concubine in Genesis 35:22, and her sons received an inheritance. Merely "taking" a woman without a legal document may be what makes the difference between her being a concubine and being a full-fledged wife. But like Hagar, this raised her to a higher position (under Hammurabi, a slave girl who bore children could no longer be sold), and it went to her head, and she wanted her son to have the prominence Gid'on had declined to accept.32. When Gid'on the son of Yo'ash died (with a fine [head of] gray hair), he was buried in the plot [belonging to] his father in Offrah of the Av-Ezrites. 33. But then, when Gid'on was dead, the descendants of Israel went back and whored after the Ba'als, and appointed Ba'al-b'rith to be an elohim for themselves, As it turns out, Gid'on's heavy hand was the only thing that had kept them paying lip-service to YHWH. They are beginning to see themselves as a democracy that can elect its own elohim! Ba'al-b'rith is thought by the rabbis to have been the same as Ba'al-z'vul (the "lord of the flying ones"), which was worshipped in Eqron in the shape of a fly. Israelite adherents to this cult would carry an image of it in their pockets and take it out to kiss it periodically; they were unwilling to part with it. Others see it as related to the usage of the term "covenant" to specifically mean circumcision, with its image being a phallic symbol. This may have a direct connection to the "snare" in verse 27. Likewise, through Yahshua we have rest from strife, but almost as soon as he was gone from eth scene, even returning Israel started turning back to idolatry which was periphoral to the worship of YHWH but still added the worship of another, like Gid'on's efod.34. and the descendants of Israel did not remember YHWH their Elohim, who had allowed them to be snatched out of the hands of all their enemies on every side, 35. and neither did they attend to the household of Y'rub-Ba'al with kindness [in a way] commensurate with all the prosperity he had accomplished with Israel. They owed him so much, as they did YHWH, yet took the benefits for themselves and forgot their source.
Gid'on's ceremonial name is used throughout the rest of the story, suggesting that though he refused the role of a king, he still operated in that role to some extent, for kings likewise usually took on a different name upon accession to the throne. Avimelekh, on the other hand, counted his mother's relatives more important than his father's--not the usual pattern in ancient Israel or in agreement with the lines of inheritance YHWH had set up.2. "Please say, in the hearing of all the [land]owners of Sh'khem, 'Which is better for you--seventy men, all the sons of Y'rub-Ba'al, having dominion over you, or one man having dominion over you? And remember that I myself am your bone and flesh!'" Landowners: literally simply owners or lords, and the term is the same as that of Ba'al, the idol worshipped there. Your bone and flesh: the same ploy Lavan used when he wished to trick Yaaqov into being ruled by him, taking advantage of a proper connection for unworthy purposes. (Gen. 29:14) Yahshua reminded us not to let blood ties, important though they normally are, stand in the way of Kingdom ties.3. So his mother's brothers spoke all these words about him in the hearing of all the [land]owners of Sh'khem, and their heart inclined to follow Avimelekh, "Because," they said, "he is our relative." He put words in their mouth, though they made it sound like the idea was their own.4. So they gave him seventy [pieces of] silver from the temple of Ba'al-b'rith, and with them Avimelekh hired idle, frivolous men, and they walked after him. From the Temple: Now it was becoming a power-play to try to restore Ba'al worship to the central place in Israel. A temple has been excavated in Sh'khem; it may be this one. Ba'al-B'rith means "master of the covenant", which is similar to Yahshua's statement that he was master of the Sabbath--a fact twisted by those who think this therefore meant he could change the covenant and thus replace YHWH as the one making a covenant with Israel. Idle: They had to be desperate for work because this was a very low wage for killing someone, considering the "Judas" was paid 30 pieces (also in a Temple context) to betray Yahshua, and that was still only the price of a slave.5. And he went to his father's house at Offrah and murdered his brothers, the sons of Y'rub-Ba'al--seventy men--on one stone, though Yotham, the youngest son of Y'rub-Ba'al, was left, because he hid himself. Was this the price Gid'on paid for attaching himself to a woman who clearly had inside connections with a pagan temple? This son of a servant girl must have been jealous of his half-brothers who did not bear the same stigma he did. Yotham means "YHWH is perfect". Naming him thus may have been another way Gid'on stated the fact that he did not need to be king.6. Then all the [land]owners of Sh'khem and the whole house of Millo [abundance] were assembled. When they came they made Avimelekh king with the great upright tree which is at Sh'khem. Great upright tree: or, tree of the pillar, tree of the outpost, tree of the appointed deputy; Aramaic, the plain of the standing grain.7. When Yotham was informed, he went and stood on top of Mount Grizim, and he lifted up his voice and called out and said, "Listen to me, [you land]owners of Sh'khem, and Elohim will listen to you! 8. "Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves, and they told the olive tree, 'Reign over us!' 9. "But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I leave undone my prosperousness with which through me Elohim and men are honored, and go and hold sway over the trees?' I.e., "That is not what I am made for; I already have the right job." This is essentially what Gid'on had said.10. "So the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come reign over us!' 11. "But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I bring my sweetness and beneficial produce to an end to go and hold sway over the trees?' Beneficial produce: Aramaic, "beautiful fig cake".12. "So the trees said to the [grape] vine, 'You come reign over us!' The fig tree and vine represent Gid'on's son and grandson. (8:22)13. "But the vine said to them, 'Should I stop [producing] my new wine, which gladdens Elohim and men, to go and hold sway over the trees?' Gladdens Elohim: the Aramaic targum explains that this was through the libations brought to Him at the Temple.14. "So all the trees said to the bramble-bush, 'You come and reign over us!' 15. "And the bramble-bush said to the trees, 'If you really do anoint me to be king over you, come, seek refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out from the bramble-bush and devour the cedars of Levanon!' A bramble is the lowest of trees, and its shade would be a very prickly environment. All it is useful for is a hedge, and Avimelekh, the slave-girl's son (v. 18) clearly did not want to be the protector of Israel, only one who benefited from its homage. But if they did not like him, he would not settle for just letting them go their separate way; he would waste even the finest of men if they did not go along with his program. (Compare Y'hezq'el/Ezekiel 19:14, in the context of the elders of Israel questioning another prophet in the following verse.)16. "So now, if you have acted in faithfulness and integrity when you made Avimelekh king, and if you have dealt rightly with Y'rub-Ba'al and with his household, and if you have brought about for him the recompense his hands [deserved] 17. "(in which my father fought for you and risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midyan) Risked his life: literally, cast his life aside [from in front of him].18. "when you have risen up against my father's household today and have murdered his sons--70 men on one stone--and have made Avimelekh, the son of his slave-girl, king over the [land]owners of Sh'khem because he is your kinsman-- One stone: a public execution site. 70: though he himself is alive, making it actually only 69. In Hebraic idiom, such rounding of numbers is common. Also, once even one of them was killed, he would have destroyed the entity of "the 70". This council of 70 foreshaowed the Sanhedrin of Second Temple times.19. "indeed, if you have dealt faithfully and innocently with Y'rub-Ba'al and with his household this day, [then] be glad with Avimelekh so he can also rejoice in you. I.e., "I hope you are satisfied with your choice, because now it is too late to back out of it; the damage is already done, so you had better not have second thoughts, because he is not one who will take such a change of mind well":20. "But if not, fire will come forth from Avimelekh and consume the [land]owners of Sh'khem and the house of Millo, and may fire come out from the [land]owners of Sh'khem and the house of Millo and consume Avimelekh!" The bramble is usually used to build a fire for cooking purposes. It catches very quickly, but does not burn for a very long time, and so is ideal for nomads or travelers who do not wish to stay around a long time to tend it. Avimelekh was selected for Sh'khem's immediate gratification, but like the bramble, he could flare up suddenly as well as fizzle out quickly.21. Then Yotham escaped and ran away to Be'er and lived there, away from his brother Avimelekh. He was not making a bid for Avimelekh's position; he simply wanted justice and what was best for Israel.22. When Avimelekh had acted as prince over Israel for three years, 23. Elohim sent an adverse disposition between Avimelekh and the [land]owners of Sh'khem so [that] Sh'khem's [land]owners dealt treacherously with Avimelekh 24. so that the wrong [done to] Y'rub-Ba'al's seventy sons and their blood might come to be put on their kinsman Avimelekh, who had murdered them, as well as on the [land]owners of Sh'khem, who had made his hands strong [enough] to kill his brothers. Wrong: the term usually connotes violence or cruelty, but violence can sometimes be used for right causes, as in Gid'on's case, and this term always has a negative sense.25. Now the [land]owners of Sh'khem set [men to] wait in ambush on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed any who passed by them on the road, and Avimelekh was informed. Apparently this plundering of innocent travelers through their district was meant to target the emissaries of Avimelekh, who was living elsewhere (v. 41), having left a deputy (v. 28) to rule in his stead. Possibly they were stealing tribute that was being carried to him from the deputy. Israel had fallen back into the practices of their oppressors before the rise of Gid'on. (6:3-4) These men were Yotham's relatives through Gid'on, yet they would not help him. This may be what Yahshua's parable of the Samaritan who helped the man robbed along the road was alluding to. This was in the territory which would later belong to the Samaritans, who worshipped on the mountain from which Yotham had spoken. (See Yochanan 4:20.)26. Then Ga'al the son of Eved came with his brothers, and they passed through into Sh'khem, so the [land]owners of Sh'khem put their trust in him. Apparently he outsmarted those lying in ambush, so the fickle town leaders were more impressed with him than with Avimelekh:27. When they went out [to] the field and gathered grapes from their vineyards, and trod out [the grapes], they made boasts and went into the house of their elohim and ate and drank, and made light of Avimelekh Gathered grapes from: or, walled up. Boasts: or, praise-festivals; Aramaic, dances.28. when Ga'al the son of Eved said, "Who is Avimelekh, and who is Sh'khem, that we should serve him? Don't the son of Y'rub-Ba'al and Z'vul his deputy serve the men of Khamor the father of Sh'khem? So why should we serve him? Avimelekh was not among them, apparently having only used the citizens of his hometown as a stepping-stone to his higher position. Z'vul means "exalted". It may be an allusion to the fuller title of the deity "Ba'al-z'vul".29. "Then who will give this people into my hand so I can depose Avimelekh?" And he said to Avimelekh, "Enlarge your army, and come out!" 30. When Z'vul, the leader of the city, heard the words of Ga'al the son of Eved, his anger was kindled. 31. And he sent messengers to Avimelekh in secret, saying, "Look here! Ga'al the son of Eved and his brothers have come to Sh'khem, and lo and behold, they are making the city treat you as an adversary! In secret: or, deceitfully, through treachery or fraud. Verse 36 seems to bear this out, for it was treachery against Ga'al at the same time, though apparently not against Avimelekh.32. "So now, rise up at night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in ambush in the field, 33. "then what you should [do is], get up early in the morning as the sun breaks out, and make a raid on the city, and he and the people who are with him will certainly come out to you, and you can do to them whatever your hand can attain."
Companies: or divisions; literally, heads.35. When Ga'al the son of Eved went out and stood at the entrance to the gate of the city, then Avimelekh and the people who were with him rose up from [where they waited in] ambush. 36. When Ga'al saw the people, he said to Z'vul, "Look! People are coming down from the mountaintops!" But Z'vul told him, "You are perceiving the shadows of the mountains as if they were men." 37. But yet again Ga'al spoke up and said, "Look, people are coming down from the highest part of the land, and one company is coming in from the way [to] the Sorcerers' Oak!" 38. Then Z'vul said to him, "Now where is your mouth [with] which you said, 'Who is Avimelekh, that we should serve him?' Isn't this the people that you despised? Please go out now and fight against it!" 39. So Ga'al went out before the [land]owners of Sh'khem and fought against Avimelekh, 40. but Avimelekh started chasing him, and he took flight in front of him, and many fell down, pierced, all the way to the entrance of the gate. 41. And Avimelekh remained at Arumah, so Z'vul expelled Ga'al and his brothers from living in Sh'khem. Arumah means "I will be exalted"--exactly the attitude Avimelekh took. He may have named the town himself.42. But what took place the next day [was that] the people went out to the field, and it was made known to Avimelekh. Field: or, plain.43. So he took the people and divided them into three companies, and set an ambush in the field and watched. When they saw the people coming out from the city, he rose up against them and attacked them. Though the perpetrator had been expelled, the rest of the elders apparently remained disloyal to Avimelekh, except for Z'vul.44. Then Avimelekh and the companies that were with him charged forward and stopped at the entrance to the gate of the city, while two of the companies rushed upon all who were in the field, and attacked [and destroyed] them. 45. And Avimelekh fought against the city all that day and captured it, and killed all the people that were in it, and tore down the city, and scattered salt over it. Scattered: or, sowed. Salting a city was a ritual to symbolize the perpetual desolation of the city. They would apparently salt the area around the city so no crops could grow there. In fact, Sh'khem would not be rebuilt for another 150 years. But it was the ground, or earth, that was salted, giving clarification to what Yahshua meant when he said his followers were to be the salt of the earth. His context in Luqa's account (14:34) was clearly military--the destruction of the productivity of his enemies. If we cannot do that, he says we are not useful to him.46. When all the owners of the Tower of Sh'khem heard it, they went into an underground chamber of the temple of El-b'rith. El-b'rith: apparently another name for Ba'al-b'rith. The use of a more generic term (sometimes used of YHWH) muddies the waters, making the idolatry less obvious.47. And Avimelekh was informed that all the owners of the Tower of Sh'khem were gathered together, 48. Avimelekh ascended Mount Tzalmon--he and all the people who were with him--and Avimelekh took the axes in his hand and cut off a branch [from] the trees, and he lifted it up and set it on his shoulder, and said to the people who were with him, "What you saw me do, hurry up and do the same as I [did]!" Tzalmon means "the shadiest", probably because it had the most trees on it (until this point) or it cast the longest shadow. (Compare verse 36.) Shoulder: the Hebrew word is sh'khem, so he is doing a visual play on words.49. So every one of the people each cut off a branch also and walked after Avimelekh, and laid them over the underground chamber and set the chamber on fire above them, so all the people of the Tower of Sh'khem died as well--about a thousand, [both] man and woman. Yotham's prophecy came true, even down to the detail about fire being the means of their destruction!50. Then Avimelekh went to Thebetz and laid siege against Thebetz and captured it. Thebetz (meaning "conspicuous) was 10 miles (16 km.) northeast of Sh'khem on the road to Beyth She'an.51. But there was a strong tower in the middle of the city, so all the men and women and all the [land]owners of the city escaped to it, and closed it up behind them and went up onto the roof of the tower. 52. Then Avimelekh arrived at the tower and fought against it and he was getting close to the entrance to the tower, [intending] to burn it with fire. 53. And a certain woman threw a piece [broken off] an upper millstone onto Avimelekh's head and crushed his skull. An upper millstone would be present in such a stronghold which was designed to withstand a siege. It served the same purpose a bunker or bomb shelter does today. Grain, which keeps for indefinite lengths of time, would be stored there rather than bread or flour, which would spoil quickly, and for the grain to be ground into "daily bread", a millstone would need to be present.54. So he hurriedly called the young man who was carrying his weapons and told him, "Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, "A woman slew him!" So his young man thrust him through, and he died. To be killed by a woman would be the lowest insult to a military leader. Nevertheless, he did not get his wish; in 2 Shmu'el 11:20-21, a reference back to this event, a woman is still credited with Avimelekh's death! The story was recounted to make the point that it is not wise to get within range of a city's weapons when fighting against it.55. When a man of Israel saw that Avimelekh was dead, [each] man went to his own place. A man: the context seems to require it to mean all the men, but the way it is worded is a prophecy. The counterfeit Messiah is called a king by several prophets, and his death will allow the Israel that operates as one man to return to its rightful place.56. Thus Elohim paid back the wickedness of Avimelekh, which he did to his father in killing seventy of his brothers, 57. and Elohim [also] turned back all the evil of the people of Sh'khem onto their own heads, and the curse of Yotham the son of Y'rub-Ba'al came upon them. This animosity of one evil entity against another that destroyed both brought about a win-win situation for the righteous. Psalm 94 seems to have been written for such a situation, especially the last verse.
Again, notice that Yotham, Gid'on's son, did not try to take the place of his father. The exact location of Shamir is not known, but it cannot have been far from Shiloh, and was probably close to the border of Yissakhar's tribal territory, since that is Tola's tribe of origin2. And he governed Israel 23 years, then he died and was buried in Shamir. Governed: or judged, decided controversy for, acted as lawgiver of. Tola, whose named refers to the worm from which scarlet dye is made, did nothing spectacular, but he receives "honorable mention" for doing his duty faithfully, as evidenced by the fact that YHWH saw no reason to chasten Israel at this time by having enemies subjugate them.3. Then after him there arose Ya'ir the Gil'adite, and he governed Israel 22 years, Ya'ir means "he enlightens".4. and he had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkey foals, and 30 cities belonged to them, which are called "Ya'ir's living-places" to this day--which are in the land of Gil'ad. Donkey foals: a pun on Ya'ir's name, for the Hebrew word is ayir. They must have served as his family's "trademark". Gil'ad: just south of the Yarmuq River canyon, which today divides Jordan from the Golan Heights. Eventually 60 cities in the Argov region of Bashan (the Golan Heights), along the eastern part of the river which may have been in Menashe's land, also belonged to Ya'ir, according to 1 Kings 4:13, so his family and/or influence must have grown. It appears that Ya'ir was from the tribe of Menashe, for Gil'ad himself was a Menashite, though part of Gil'ad is in Gad's tribal territory.5. When Ya'ir died, he was buried in Qamon. Qamon means "established", and it may be possible to read this as "he was buried standing up". As with Tola, no enemies were able to successfully attack Israel during his tenure, because Ya'ir effectively kept Israel in obedience to the Torah.6. Then the descendants of Israel again began to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, in that they served the Ba'alim and the Ashtaroth, as well as the elohimof Aram, the elohimof Tsidon, the elohimof Moav, the elohimof the sons of Ammon, and the elohim of the Filistines, and they abandoned YHWH and did not serve Him. Ba'alim and Ashtaroth were male and female counterparts of one another. They are now serving "the Lord" and the "Queen of Heaven"--ideas that have passed down to our own day. Some of these other idols are just variations on them, but seen to be confined to certain geographical regions. Why do we have such a proclivity to turn back to idolatry so quickly? Did their neighbors' sexually-oriented worship just look too attractive to them? Was it a backlash against Ya'ir's heavy hand? Was it just that they wanted to make their own decisions? People do not like to be judged, but they were influenced to go astray because no one was judging them. Aram: Syria, the land of Yaaqov's father-in-law. Many of these nations were Israel's relatives. This may be why Israel was more tempted to compromise with them, so they could all get along in harmony--the same mistake they are making today, but this is not what YHWH told us to do. They did not want to offend their neighbors, so they exchanged ideas, and Israel inevitably ends up serving those other ideas. Ammon: descendants of one of the daughters of Lot, Avraham's nephew (Moav is the other daughter's people); the present-day capital city of Jordan, Amman, was also the Ammonites' capital, Rabbat-Ammon.7. So YHWH's anger was kindled in Israel, and He sold them into the hand of the Filistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon. Anger: literally, nose or nostrils--as if He were to breathe out fire. Two of the nations whose elohim they had chosen to worship turned on them. Those elohim betrayed them, showing how untrustworthy they are. Just because we compromise with other spirits does not mean they will take care of us. Following them may feel better for a while, but they will inevitably rise up and take us over. One meaning of Ba'al is "owner", and Israel was enslaved because we had already surrendered to these nations as teachers about the ways of their elohim, and they took that as an open door to be our masters in every respect.8. And they shattered and crushed the descendants of Israel in that year, as well as all the descendants of Israel who were across the Yarden in the land of the Emorites who were in Gil'ad, [for] eighteen years Crushed: or, figuratively, oppressed. The more we serve Security or other elohim, the harder it puts us under its heel.9. And the sons of Ammon crossed the Yarden to make war on Yehudah also, as well as on Binyamin and on the House of Efrayim, and Israel was suffering great distress. Though the sphere of influence of Tola and Ya'ir appears to have been mainly in the north, now the southern part of the nation is being attacked as well. This is the first Yehudah is mentioned in this book, and possibly this heartland from which the teaching base is to come is threatened because there are more foreign nations influencing Israel than before. What part of Israel did affected all of Israel. When we have weaker brothers who do not want to judge, all of us become vulnerable to attack. If some Israelites are living like Kanaanites, the Tents of Shem cannot remain well-guarded. The opposite can also be true if we decide to take dominion over what tempts us. But when the Maccabees wanted to defeat their enemies, they started by removing the weakest links among their own people, who would compromise with the enemy, and that is when they became strong enough to defeat them. Interestingly, the modern usage of the Hebrew word for "Ammonite" means "democracy", which is now the cause of Yehudah's problems. But the word simply means "great people", and large peoples like the Catholics and the Muslims have also made war on Yehudah.10. Then the descendants of Israel cried out to YHWH [for help], saying, "We have wronged You, in that we have abandoned our own Elohim and [worked to] serve the ba'alim!" 11. So YHWH said to the descendants of Israel, "Didn't I [save you] from Egypt and from the Emorite, from the sons of Ammon, and from Filistines? 12. "So [I sent] Tsidonians and Amaleq and Maon to repress you. When you called out to Me [for help], I rescued you out of their hand. 13. "Yet you have abandoned Me and served other em>elohimthat is why I am not going to rescue you again. He is bewildered by how stiff their necks are, and is saying, in essence, "I have been faithful, and you know perfectly well that I am capable of delivering you, but why must I deliver you from the same things over and over? I shouldn't have to! Why do I teach you the same lessons over and over, yet you learn nothing? You keep going bac to the things I rescued you from! I have My limits!" (Compare Deut. 32:36-38)14. "Go and cry out to the elohim whom you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress!" He sarcastically says, "That is who you want to depend on, so I will put you in a situation where that is all you have left to depend on, and it will rule over you because you wanted it to, but it does not rule lie I do." This is the most frightening thing we could imagine YHWH saying to us. It is really this that we fear when we say we fear YHWH--that He will consider us to have crossed the last line and gone too far to even have Him hear us anymore.15. But the descendants of Israel told YHWH, "We have missed the target; You do to us according to anything that is appropriate in Your eyes. Just please rescue us this day!" Now this is the kind of thing He wants to hear from His people, but thus far it was only words, and He has a right to ignore empty promises until we show Him proof of our repentance.16. And they took away the foreign em>elohimfrom their midst, and began serving YHWH. Then His soul was cut with the misery of Israel. Cut: or grieved, but most literally, cut short as when crops are harvested. Now that they put their words into action, His compassion is aroused.17. Then the sons of Ammon were being called up, and they pitched [their tents] in Gil'ad, so the sons of Israel assembled themselves together and were setting up camp at Mitzpah. Now Israel was again in a position to resist and raise up a standard against the enemy instead of being overrun by them, because YHWH was again on their side. But they were still not off the hook; the fact that YHWH had mercy would not mean there was no price to pay for having walked in the wrong direction so many times. Mitzpah means "watchtower", a place from which we can be on guard. Now that Israel is gathering together, Though there was a place named Mitzpah on the border between Efrayim's and Binyamin's tribal lands (in the context of verse 9), there was a Mitzpah in Gil'ad. It was Yaaqov's other name for Gal'ed, the heap that he and Lavan had set between them as a witness of their pact to never attack each other (Gen. 31:44ff)--the memory of which probably factored heavily in the events of the next chapter. It is spelled just like Gil'ad, except for the vowel points. Moshe may have chosen to make this Gil'ad's land for this reason!18. And the people of the chiefs of Gil'ad each said to his fellow, "Who is the man who will start to engage the sons of Ammon in battle? He will become head for all the people of Gil'ad!" Notice that the prevailing attitude in Israel has been to look for one strong hero who can get things started and who can really lead, then submit whole-heartedly to him. It did not seem to occur to them to pool their wisdom; democracy is not a natural concept to Israel.
Capable: Apparently no one took up the offer in 10:18, and Israel did not like to go to war without a strong man, so they went recruiting, and found the one who was bravest, smartest, and strongest. Yifthakh is described in the same terms as Gid'on had been; his name means "he opens". His father's name is probably reminiscent of the "witness heap" Yaaqov and Lavan had set up between them very close to or right within Gil'ad's land. A woman of harlotry: If she was not another man's wife, there is no direct prohibition against prostitution except in the case of priests' daughters or if one wanted to be a temple prostitute for a pagan worship site, though in Hebrew the latter case is described by a different term, as it is directly associated with idolatry. Of course it is not a wise or honorable profession to take up, but probably chosen because she felt she had no other recourse. If she had no living relatives, she might have had no one else to take her in or no other means of income. Whoever his mother was, Yifthakh chose to live in his father's house and learn his skills, and thus he lives up to his name, which is related to that of Yafeth, who was "open" to learning and improving himself.2. Then Gil'ad's wife had borne sons to him. When the sons of Gil'ad's wife grew up, they threw Yifthakh out and told him, "You cannot inherit in the house of our father, because you are the son of a different woman!" Yifthakh's mother was not his father's wife, but he was not considered illegitimate in the terms of Deut. 23:2 because he was not born of one of the marriages forbidden in Leviticus 18 and 20. His father did the honorable thing in taking responsibility for him, though legally his obligation to her ended when he paid her for her favor. However, his brothers were jealous of his abilities. Under the Torah, he would still have an inheritance, and should even receive a double portion because he was apparently the firstborn. Then: It appears that Gil'ad may even have gone to the harlot to have a child, since his wife had not borne him any children prior to this. So his brothers were using prevailing moralities to twist the Torah, as so many do today. Despite his giftedness, they would rather not have him around if it meant they had to honor him above themselves.3. So Yifthakh ran away from his brothers' presence and lived in a land [called] Tov, but worthless men gathered themselves to Yifthakh and went out [to war] with him. Tov: meaning pleasant or "just right". Worthless: or simply, empty--possibly people who were "broke". They may have been unable to pay debts and did not want to enslave themselves, so, as it would be with David before he was king, these people joined forces with a mighty hero and dared their debtors to fight him in order to collect their dues. He was forced to fend for himself, and became so adept at it that other people who could not defend themselves attached themselves to him for protection.4. When some time had passed, the sons of Ammon made war with Israel. 5. And it turned out that when the sons of Ammon fought with Israel, the elders of Gil'ad went to get Yifthakh from [the] land of Tov, These elders would be none other than his own brothers, being the first generation of Gil'ad's descendants. They were not sure how to engage a foreign king; now they remembered his skill, but conveniently forgot how they had treated him!6. and they said to Yifthakh, "Come and you can be a commander for us, so that we can engage the sons of Ammon in battle!" 7. But Yifthakh said to the elders of Gil'ad, "Didn't you hate me? You even threw me out of my father's house! So why do you come to me now, when you are in dire straits?" 8. And the elders of Gil'ad told Yifthakh, "That's why we have come back to you now, so that you can go with us and engage the sons of Ammon in battle, and you can become a head for us and for all the inhabitants of Gil'ad." 9. So Yifthakh said to the elders of Gil'ad, "If you are bringing me back to engage the sons of Ammon in battle, and YHWH delivers them up before me, I will indeed become your head?" In classic Hebraic manner, he puts the ball back in their court by answering with a question. He also needed additional assurance that they would carry out their word, since they had shown him earlier that they were not honorable men.10. And the elders of Gil'ad said to Yifthakh, "YHWH will be the witness between us if we do not do whatever you say." The witness: literally, the one who hears or listens--i.e., the recorder and rememberer of what they said to each other.11. So Yifthakh went with the elders of Gil'ad, and the people set him over them as head and commander, and Yifthakh spoke all his words in the presence of YHWH at Mitzpah. Mitzpah was the heap that Yaaqov and Lavan had set between them as a witness of their pact to never attack each other. (Gen. 1:49) This place was considered "the presence of YHWH" because there was already a witness to a faithfully fulfilled oath here. Therefore it was an especially solemn place to make such a promise again.12. Then Yifthakh sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon to say, "What is it to me and to you, since you have come to fight me in my own land?" 13. And the king of the sons of Ammon said to the messengers of Yifthakh, "Because Israel took my land when he came up from Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Yabboq and up to the Yarden. So now, return them in their entirety!" In their entirety: or, peaceably.14. But Yifthakh sent messengers yet again to the king of the sons of Ammon, 15. "and told him, "This is what Yifthakh says: 'Israel did not take the land of Moav or the land of the sons of Ammon, 16. "'because when they came up out of Egypt, Israel had walked through the wilderness as far as the Sea of Reeds and arrived at Qadesh. 17. "'When Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom to say, 'Please let me cross through your territory', the king of Edom would not listen. And [Israel] also sent to the king of Moav, but he would not consent, so Israel remained in Qadesh. 18. "'Then he walked through the wilderness and skirted the land of Edom and the land of Moav, and came into the land of Moav at the rising of the sun, and camped on the other side of the Arnon [River], but did not come within the border of Moav, because [the] Arnon was the border of Moav. 19. "'Then Israel sent messengers to Sikhon, king of the Emorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, "Please let us cross through your land to my place." 20. "'But Sikhon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory, so Sikhon gathered all of his people and they camped at Yahatz and fought with Israel. 21. "'And YHWH, the Elohim of Israel, gave Sikhon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and as they conquered them, Israel took possession of the whole land of the Emorites, who were inhabiting that land. 22. "'And they dispossessed the whole territory of the Emorites, from the Arnon as far as the Yabboq and from the wilderness all the way to the Yarden. This is the same territory the Ammonites claimed was theirs! But Ammon had not been the ones living there at that time; Yifthakh set the record straight. They were therefore trying to get in on a claim that other nations might think they had against Israel, but they certainly did not, which was all the more reason that they should be humbled. It was knowing his people's history so well that made Yifthakh strong. He was essentially both a lawyer and a warrior--both of which are needed in a king or a national leader. Like David, he was both a military giant and a great Torah scholar. He used legal evidence against them and lived up to his name, opening the doors of learning. His brothers were not learned, so they were not capable of leading Israel into battle.23. "'So now YHWH, the Elohim of Israel, has expelled the Emorites from before His people, and now you would occupy it? 24 "'Won't you possess whatever Kemosh, your elohim, lets you take possession of? And all that YHWH, our Elohim, has dispossessed before us, we will take possession of! Kemosh means "subduer" and is associated with Ba'al-Peor amd Ba'al-Z'vul, the Ammonite and Moavite equivalents of Mars and Saturn. It was not until King Shlomo that its worship was introduced in Israel.25. "'So now, are you any better than Balaq, the son of Tzippor, the king of Moav, the one who indeed fought with Israel, if in fact he did fight against them? Balaq fought against Israel, but not through war. (Rev. 2:14) The story is in Numbers 22-24. Yifthakh asks what their legal right to this land would be according to their own kinsmen. To claim a higher status than one of their brother tribe's patriarchs would be blasphemous to them.26. "'While Israel has been living in Heshbon and its daughter [town]s and in Aroer and its daughters, and in all the cities that are by the sides of [the] Arnon for 300 years, why have you never snatched them [back] during that time? They were trying to take advantage of a time of weakness in Israel to grab land that they wanted. Snatch: or recover--if the land had ever really been their own. If the Emorites had taken it from them before Israel took it from the Emorites, why had they waited until the "statute of limitations" had already run out before addressing their claim? 300 years after the events mentioned above would be approximately 1223 B.C.E. This is 319 years into the period of the judges, however, and thus may have been as late as 1063 B.C.E. We must also add about 30 years of Y'hoshua's leadership, so this is just a rounding down to the nearest hundred from about 349 years.27. "'So I have not done you wrong, but you are doing evil against me in [coming to] fight against me. May YHWH the Judge [be the one to] render the verdict today between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon.'" vHe undermines their confidence by reminding them that they have no right to make such noise and that they will be under his and YHWH's dominion if they proceed with their attack.28. But the king of the sons of Ammon did not listen to the words of Yifthakh, which he sent to him. 29. Then the spirit of YHWH came upon Yifthakh, and he passed through Gil'ad (that is, Menashe) and from the watchtower of Gil'ad he crossed over [into the territory of] the sons of Ammon. The spirit of YHWH did not allow Gid'on to make war on these relatives of Israel until the king had "added iniquity to iniquity" and the cup of his sins reached its limit. (Compare Gen. 15:16) It had taken some 900 years since the founding of the people of Ammon to reach this point. But, being descendants of Shem and Avraham's nephew, they were held to a higher accountability than Nin'veh, which was not called to judgment until some 1,500 years into its history--and even then it repented and lengthened the grace period even more. But the Kanaanites had only had about 800 years, for they started out on the wrong foot and were never in YHWH's favor, despite His patience wit them. It was usually kings who had the spirit of YHWH come on them like this, and it was a spirit of prophecy.30. And Yifthakh made a vow to YHWH, and said, "If you will indeed give the sons of Ammon over into my hand, 31. "then what will take place is that whatever it is that comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon will belong to YHWH, and I will make it go up as an ascending [offering]." Khannah dedicated her son to YHWH in a vow, but stopped there. (1 Shmu'el 1:11) Was Yifthakh still driven by competition with his brothers to the point of trying to outdo anyone else's vows?32. When Yifthakh crossed over to fight against the sons of Ammon, YHWH gave them in to his hand. 33. And he struck them down from Aroer until you come into Minith--20 cities--and as far as the Meadow of the Vineyard--a very great defeat, and the sons of Ammon were brought low before the sons of Israel. Aroer is very close to the Arnon, some 45 miles south of Mitzpah, which is near the Yabboq, so he regained the entire territory that the Ammonites had apparently already occupied.34. When Yifthakh arrived at his home in Mitzpah, lo and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with drums and dancing. And she was his only child; he had no [other] son or daughter. How ironic that after the dispute with his brothers over whether he could inherit, he destroyed his only hope of having an heir. The fact that he lived in Gad's territory makes us wonder whether his mother was a female heir who wrongly married outside her tribe, thus robbing her tribe of part of its inheritance (according to a legal precedent in Numbers 36:6).35. But when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very, very low and you have come to be a calamity to me, but I have opened my mouth to YHWH, and I cannot take it back." Opened: literally, made it gaping--i.e., opened it too far. In his zeal he had said more than he should. What was he expecting to come greet him? Israelites had no dogs! Possibly a favorite sheep might come, since flock animals commonly lived on the lower level of Israelite houses, which often merged into courtyards with no precise boundary.36. So she said to him, "My father, to YHWH you have opened your mouth to YHWH; do to me whatever has come out of your mouth, after what YHWH has done for you in avenging your enemies among the sons of Ammon!" She had the right attitude of submission despite her father's foolishness, knowing a vow to YHWH had to be kept (Num. 30:2), especially after YHWH had come through in support for him; she knew he owed YHWH a lot.37. But she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: have [everyone] withdraw from me for two months so I and my companions can go and descend the mountains and weep over my virginity." What pained her most was not that she would die, but that she would die childless. His vow in verse 31 was most literally simply to "elevate her" or "make her ascend", not burn her (in the actual Hebrew wording). This causes some to posit that he did not actually burn her according to Kanaanite custom--one which was reprehensible to YHWH (Yirmeyahu 32:35)--but dedicated her to the service of the Tabernacle. The priests, who could not marry outside their tribe, could not take her as a wife either, in that case.38. So he said, "Go ahead", and let her go off for two months, and she and her friends went and wept over her virginity on the mountains. 39. Then at the end of two months, she came back to her father, and he carried out his vow that he had made in regard to her, and she never did know a man [intimately]. So it became a custom in Israel 40. that from year to year the daughters of Israel go to retell [the story] about the daughter of Yifthakh the Gil'adite four days in the year. Year to year: literally, from days into days. This territory is now in the land of Jordan, but when Israel again possessed it, will this custom begin again, since we will again be in the position to slaughter to YHWH, and will need reminders not to promise more than we can really afford to deliver.
In the north: or, northward; the northern part of their territory is almost directly parallel with Mitzpah. Instead of congratulating or consoling him, all they can do is challenge him. Why were they so belligerent? Efrayim was the brother of Menashe, the tribe from which Yifthakh came, and as is so often the case, between brothers, love and hate are only a step apart. Proverbs 18:19 tells us, "A brother offended is [harder to placate] than a strong city, and their quarrels are like the bars of a fortress-gate." If anyone should have felt slighted, it was Gad, whose very territory was the scene of the battles, and there is no record of Yifthakh calling them to help. But Gad would have recognized that Yifthakh was obviously a blessing to them, since he liberated them very directly; Efrayim, who received much less of the brunt of the Ammonites' oppression, was not grateful.2. And Yifthakh told them, "I have been a man of much quarreling with the sons of Ammon--I and my people--and I was calling to you [for help], but you did not deliver me out of their hand. This sounds like one of them must be lying, but two different events are being spoken of. The scenario seems to be that when the Ammonites crossed the Yarden to make war on Efrayim (10:9), Yifthakh had attacked the Ammonites only one the east side of the Yarden (11:32-33), causing the Ammonites to retreat when they heard that their own territory was in danger. Yifthakh allowed the Efrayimites, among other tribes, to chase the Ammonites out and get some honor for that. But since none of the tribes on the western side had seen no need to come over to help those on the east side during the eighteen years prior to that when they were under Ammonite oppression (10:8), it was clear to Yifthakh that they had seen no hope of glory for themselves in helping men who were already capable warriors win, and only wanted to share in the plunder now that it was finally available, the victory having been won. "I" here and in verse 3 may be representative of his entire half-tribe.3. "When I realized that you were not delivering me, I put my life in the palm of my [own hand] and crossed over to the sons of Ammon, and YHWH gave them into my hand. So for what [purpose] have you come up to me today to wage war against me?" According to Josephus ( 5:7:10), he pointed out that though they had no courage to fight their enemies, they were very hasty to want to fight their brothers unjustly. YHWH had had no problem using him; they should take their complaint to Him. Yifthakh was hoping that his threat to go to war against them would make them wise up and back down. Apparently, his lawyerly skills again fell on deaf ears, and his fellow Israelites proved no better than the Ammonites. They had no valid answer for him, but were too proud to confess their wrong. Gid'on had pacified Efrayim in a similar situation, but Yifthakh had no respect for them now, and decided that it was the season to "answer a fool according to his folly" (Prov. 26:4-5) and teach them a lesson for such behavior.4. So Yifthakh collected all the men of Gil'ad and fought Efrayim, and the men of Gil'ad were beating Efrayim, because they said, "You Gil'adites are runaway Efrayimites within Efrayim, within Menashe!" Runaway Efrayimites: They were very near the altar that had been set up on the west side of the river by the two and a half tribes whose lands were across the river. (Y'hoshua 22:26ff) Its very purpose was to be a witness to their part in Israel so that their descendants could never be told, "You have no part in YHWH." Later Nabal would refuse to assist David, lumping him in with the many slaves who were breaking away from their masters. (1 Shmu'el 25:10) These Efrayimites were saying the same thing about the Gil'adites: that they had run away from their master YHWH by settling on the east side of the Yarden, outside the land of Israel proper. This is exactly what they did not want to hear; they had risked their lives in building the altar so that no one would ever say this. Menashe was also not one of the tribes that had even asked to be on that side, so the insult was even greater to them.5. And Gil'ad captured the fords of the Yarden that belonged to Efrayim, and since the Efrayimite fugitives were saying, "Let me cross", the men of Gil'ad would say to him, "An Efrayimite, aren't you?" If he said, "No", Fugitives: the same word translated "runaways" in verse 4. Now "what went around came around." The tribe that had accused Yifthakh of living on the wrong side of the river proved to have many of its own sons living there too! Why were they there? Probably to trade and do business. So they were just as "guilty". As they judged they were judged. Now that they were at war, "the embassies were emptied", and these businessmen were stranded and wanted to leave.6. they would say to him, "Please say, 'ShibbolethSibboleth", being unaccustomed to pronouncing it that way, they would seize him and slaughter him toward the fords of the Yarden. And of Efrayim there were 42,000 fallen at that time. What these Makhirites, known for being warriors (Num.26:29; 32:39-40), did was set up a checkpoint. Unaccustomed: or, unable to build, frame, or set up. Pronouncing it that way: or, pronouncing it correctly. It is unlikely that an entire tribe had a speech impediment, but, like many languages, their dialect may not have made a distinction between the "siin" and "shiin" sounds. If they were Efrayimites, their accent would give them away, for their pronunciation of the letter shiin was the litmus test. Since the migration of a plethora of Menashe has been traced to the United States, and of Efrayim to Great Britain, they are still today "two peoples divided by one language". "Shibboleth" means an ear or head of grain. What they may have done was hold one up and ask them, "What is this?" But more basically, "shibboleth" means " a stream", from the root word "to flow". So they could have been referring to the river itself. But a synonym for "flow" also refers to the passing down of an inheritance. Since Yaaqov had put Efrayim (the younger of Yoseyf's sons) rather than Menashe in the position of his firstborn,they may have been taunting them, saying, in so many words, "Who is the bigger brother now?"7. And Yifthakh governed Israel for six years, then Yifthakh the Gil'adite died and was buried among the cities of Gil'ad. He did not live long after becoming judge; the stress and strain of the two terrible events of the last two chapters may have worn him down quickly. 8. Then after him, Ivtzan of Beyth Lachem governed Israel. Beyth Lachem: possibly a variation on Beyth Lechem, but probably not the Judean city where David and Yahshua were born (since in chapter 17 where this is what is being spoken of, Yehudah is specified as its location--though Josephus opines that it was this one), but rather another town in Z'vulun's territory (western Galil) with the same name. There was no event that signaled his right to succeed Yifthakh; he may have been one of Yifthakh's right-hand men, and the succession seemed naturally right.9. And he had 30 sons, and 30 daughters [whom] he sent abroad, and brought 30 daughters from outside for his sons, and he governed Israel seven years. This was his claim to fame. Abroad: at least outside his city, but probably outside his tribe as well. (Since he was a judge of Israel and responsible to uphold the Torah, he probably did not marry them outside of Israel.) Did he wish to mix the gene pools to avoid inbreeding, since Z'vulun's territory was small and the likelihood of mutations might thus be higher? More likely, these were political marriages in order to solidify relations between the different tribes, especially after what had taken place between Efrayim and Menashe so recently.10. Then Ivtzan died and was buried at Beyth Lachem. 11. And after him, Eylon the Z'vulunite governed Israel, and he judged Israel ten years, Again, since it is another Z'vulunite who succeeded Ivtzan, it was probably a peaceful transition once again.12. then Eylon the Z'vulunite died and was buried in Ayalon, in Z'vulun's territory. Ayalon means "great stag, leader of the deer". There is another Ayalon--a river valley--some 50 miles to the south, but it is in the territories of Efrayim and Dan, not Z'vulun.13. And after him, Avdon, the son of Hillel the Pirathonite, judged Israel, Hillel: the namesake of the much better-known Pharisaical leader in second Temple times.14. and he had 40 sons and 30 grandsons, who rode on 70 donkey-foals. And he governed Israel for eight years. This followed the custom of Ya'ir's family (10:4). The root word for donkey-foals (ayarim) means one that is stirred up, aroused, incited, awakened, or triumphant. This seemed to be becoming a trademark of the judges. The Messiah would be recognizable by his riding on the same type of foal. (Z'kharyah 9:9) There, it is explained to be a sign of humility, poverty, and/or busyness--not showy wealth and pomp like riding on a proud steed--for humility simply means realism, and only one who judges himself properly can judge Israel rightly. Josephus (Antiquities 5:7:15) tells us that "public affairs were then so peaceable and in security that neither did he [Avdon] perform any glorious action." After Yifthakh established before all Israel that YHWH was with him, we had four administrations (31 years) of quiet, telling us that Israel must have been obedient enough and/or its leaders strong enough that YHWH saw no need to bring correction via enemies from outside.15. Then Avdon, the son of Hillel the Pirathonite, died and was buried in Pirathon, in the territory of Efrayim, in the Amaleqite mountains. Pirathon is on the nothern border of Efrayim's territory (shared with Menashe), near the Kanah River, a few miles southwest of Sh'khem and Mt. Grizim. Amaleqite mountains in the heart of Israel? Numbers 13:29 tells us that the Amaleqites' territory was in the Negev--far to the south of here, and their very name means "valley dwellers"; what are they doing living in the mountains? Why do they even still exist, when YHWH said He had sworn eternal enmity against them? (Ex. 17:14-16) When He said their memory was to be blotted out (Deut. 25:19), why are mountains in His very Land named after this cruel people that preyed on the weakest? Why are they allowed any place in Israel, let alone one of such elevation? Could this slackness on Israel's part explain the regression we see in chapter 13? When they ganged up on Israel along with the Midyanites in chapter 5, Midyan was delivered into Gid'on's hand, but we are not told the same about Amaleq. Did they escape to this refuge some 25 miles from where the battle was fought, and remain there? Could having them in its tribal land explain why Efrayim began pronouncing things differently from the rest of Israel?
Filistines: a Chamitic offshoot sub-race (Gen. 10:14) who migrated from what are now the Greek islands who had settled along the coast in 'Azzah (Gaza) and four other major cities after having been defeated in a sea battle by the Egyptians, though sea battles had previously been their pride. We cannot help but notice the parallels with the people who today call themselves the people of "Filistine" (their pronunciation of "Palestine"), although they never had an autonomous nation prior to Israel's return, and are actually Arabs from other lands who occupied Israel after Roma decimated the Jews in the second century C.E. They, too, now attack Israel from their base in Gaza. Forty years: each time of oppression got longer than the previous one, with a "resetting" after D'vorah and Baraq, for YHWH was willing to do what was necessary to get His people's attention.2. But there was one man from Tzaur'ah, from a clan of the Danites, and his name was Manoakh. Now his wife was infertile, and had not given birth. As soon as there were no men in Israel willing to judge others, they were back in bondage. So YHWH sent someone from the tribe whose name means "judge". Infertile: literally, cut or hamstrung. Josephus says Manoakh was nearly unparalleled for virtue in his lifetime, and his wife was "celebrated for her beauty, and excelling her contemporaries". Tzaur'ah is on the southern border of Dan, just north of Beyth-Shemesh in Yehudah's territory, in a mountain valley some 20 miles from the coast, and very close to the area the Filistines had occupied. Infertility was considered a curse in most of the ancient world, but YHWH often gave it a different meaning in Israel: a backdrop to build up suspense before a very significant or even miraculous birth. (We see it also in the mothers of Yitzhaq, Yaaqov, Yoseyf, Shmu'el, and Yochanan the Immerser--all of whom turned out to be extraordinarily useful to YHWH.)3. But a messenger of YHWH made himself visible to the woman and told her, "Please take note: you [who have been] infertile and have not given birth, have become pregnant and conceived a son. 4. "So now, please be on your guard not to drink wine or intoxicating beverage, and do not eat anything [ritually] impure. Josephus (Antiquities 5:8:2) adds that he had to be content with drinking no beverage but water. This could indicate that no other beverages but water and wine (which was often used for medicinal purposes as well) were commonly used at that time; milk was generally fed to infants or used on special festive occasions. Why was it necessary to specify that she eat nothing ritually impure, since the Torah already forbade that? Though we will see much evidence that this couple cared about doing YHWH's will, public teaching of the Torah was probably rare after forty years of Israel ignoring YHWH.5. "because you are indeed pregnant with a son, and a razor must never come up onto his head, because the boy will be a Nazir of Elohim from the womb, and he will begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Filistines." Nazir: one dedicated or consecrated; literally, an untrimmed vine. Having uncut hair would be an outward sign of his vow to remind others not to inadvertently offer him wine. A vine is left untrimmed during the seventh and fiftieth years--a picture of trusting YHWH completely and giving the Land a rest. Manoakh's own name means "resting place", so to have a Nazir as a son was especially fitting in this regard. Many people took vows to be a Nazir for short times--usually a month or other multiples of thirty days. But he, like only a few others of whom we know, was to be one for his whole life. Going to this extent seems necessary at this time to achieve the holiness to outweigh the rebellious state Israel was in. While others under a Nazir's vow could start over if they accidentally broke the rules (Numbers chapter 6), he only has one shot at being a Nazir from birth. That is why YHWH built an additional fence to keep her from misstepping. Begin: literally, bore a hole. Like Yahshua, he would be a trailblazer who made a way, but others would need to complete the job of extricating Israel from the enemy's hands. Though he made a major dent in the enemy's power, they would continue to plague Israel through the time of King David.6. So the woman came and told her husband, saying, "The man of Elohim came to me, and his appearance was like that of a messenger of Elohim--very awe-inspiring! But I did not ask him where he was from, nor did he inform me of his name. How would one recognize a messenger of YHWH? "Messenger of YHWH" was often an idiom for a prophet. Possibly by his glowing face--the appearance Moshe, thus far the supreme prophet of YHWH, had had after spending time directly in His presence. (Ex. 34:29-35)7. "But he told me, 'Take note: you are pregnant and carrying a son, so now do not drink wine or intoxicating beverage, and do not eat anything [ritually] impure, because the boy will be a Nazir of Elohim from the womb'--until the day of his death!" Until the day of his death: She added this part, but it is clear that she was being asked to separate herself as well as the baby (as alcohol can also be transferred to the child in the womb through his mother's blood). I.e., she was to take a Nazir's vow as well. Since according to the Torah the husband has the option of overruling a vow his wife makes if he does so immediately (Numbers 30:3-13), she honors the authority of the head of her household by submitting the information to him first, since any vow she takes will affect the entire household.8. So Manoakh prayed [profusely] to YHWH, and said, "I beg you, My Master, please let the man of Elohim whom you sent come to us again and instruct us [in] what we should do for the lad who has been begotten!" What we should do: or, how we should prepare. At this point he does not seem to doubt that he will indeed have a child, but wants to know the specifics of how to rear him.9. And Elohim listened to the voice of Manoakh, and the messenger of Elohim came to the woman again while she was sitting in the field, when Manoakh her husband was not with her. YHWH recognized that Manoakh's questions were not asked out of rebellion but out of wisdom. Manoakh does not know who this messenger was, and wants to see what kind of person he is before embarking on strictures that would affect the whole family for many years to come. His wife intuitively thinks he is a messenger of YHWH, but she did not have proof, and wanted to be sure that a commitment that could not be broken (Num. 30:2) was actually in agreement with the Torah and on a firm foundation. She has told him (v. 6) that she has no way to contact him again to find out more, so Manoakh wisely asks YHWH to allow him to hear the message firsthand so he can know if this agreement his wife has made should stand.10. And the woman hurried and ran and told her husband, and told him, "The man who came to me that day has indeed appeared to me!" 11. So Manoakh got up and followed his wife and came to the man, and said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to the woman?" And he said, "I [am]." 12. So Manoakh said, "Then let your words come [true]! What should the lad's regimen be [like], and what will his job be?" 13. So the messenger told Manoakh, "Of all that I told the woman, she must be watchful: 14. "She must not eat of anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink wine or any intoxicant, nor may she eat anything [ritually] impure. She must observe everything about which I gave her [strict] orders." Grapevine: literally, vine of wine. The messenger did not add anything to the "regimen" than what he had said before. As it would turn out, his parents were already predisposed to treat him as an "untrimmed vine" in the area of discipline as well, giving him more special treatment than they really should have, so he does not specify anything more than the normal practices a Nazir is to follow according to the Torah.15. Then Manoakh said to the messenger of YHWH, "Please, let us detain you so we can prepare a kid of the goats in your presence." He is acting in the hospitable tradition of Avraham and Gid'on.16. But the messenger told Manoakh, "[Even] if you detain me, I will not eat of your bread, but if you prepare an ascending [offering], you must offer it up to YHWH." (Because Manoakh was not recognizing that he was a messenger of YHWH.) Josephus interprets this as saying he was not bringing them the glad news of their coming son because he lacked anything and wanted a present from them! Not recognizing: It was that he was YHWH's messenger in particular that was uncertain in his eyes, for thus far, except by the narrator, he has only been called a messenger of Elohim. He therefore clarified that if the purpose of bringing a goat was to be an offering, it had to be offered to YHWH, not to the messenger. He did not say, "Don't shoot the messenger", but "Don't feed the messenger", for he was merely delivering the message and did not want the focus to be on himself.17. So Manoakh said to the messenger of YHWH, "What is your name, so that when your words come [true], we can give you [great] honor?" 18. But the messenger of YHWH said to him, "Why is it that you ask for my name, when it is incomprehensible?" He echoes his ancestor Yaaqov's request, and receives a very similar response. (Gen. 32:29) Incomprehensible: Heb., peli'y--out of reach, extraordinary, difficult to understand (Ps. 139:6), distinguished by an action that sets one apart. While this is the same root word for what Yahshua is called in Yeshayahu 9:6, but the form of the word there is not identical, so he is not saying this is a "preincarnate Yahshua". He may be saying Manoakh would never understand if he told him who he was--i.e., that he is what we would call an angel. But in Hebrew there is no distinction between a human messenger and an angel in the actual terminology. The fact that this tends to be our focus can help us understand why Manoakh is still set on honoring the messenger instead of focusing on the message. In other words, if we know the message is from YHWH, it does not matter whether the messenger was an angel or not, for the outcome will not be affected either way. Deut. 29:29 tells us, ""The concealed things belong to YHWH our Elohim, but those which are open are for us and our sons unto the age, so that we may carry out all the words of this instruction." The messenger's visit was not about who he was, but about Manoakh's assignment.19. So Manoakh took the goat-kid and made it ascend upon the rock to YHWH, and he performed a wonder while Manoakh and his wife watched. 20. Then it occurred: as the flame ascended from the altar into the skies, the messenger of YHWH went up in the altar's flame while Manoakh and his wife were looking on! And they fell to the ground on their faces. Josephus said he used the smoke "as a vehicle"--much as Eliyahu (who was not an angel) also would. (2 Kings 2:11) "He makes His messengers wind, and His ministers a flaming fire." (Psalm 104:4) Falling on their faces was the right response; today we would tend to try to recreate the spectacle and charge admission!21. And the messenger of YHWH was no longer seen by Manoakh or to his wife. Then Manoakh realized that this was the messenger of YHWH. Or to his wife: neither of them had been hallucinating. Again, this does not prove that he was an angel. YHWH may have simply been doing a miracle through him as He did through many other human prophets. He has set limits on His creation, and He can work within them in ways incomprehensible to us and at the precise time; this is not sleight of hand and in no way detracts from His power, but rather show how He can still manipulate His creation in a masterful way to achieve the right purposes.22. Then Manoakh said to his wife, "We're going to die for sure, because we have seen Elohim!" Again this parallels Gid'on's actions--and reactions--very closely. (6:18-23) Manoakh rightly recognized that no one can see YHWH and survive. (Ex. 33:20) That is why YHWH sends messengers, the foremost of which is Yahshua, by which to manifest Himself. (Yochanan 1:18) But was he making the same mistake the makers of the golden calf did when they felt like Moshe was the one who had to be replaced by something visible to worship? (Ex. 32:1) I.e., that one whom they thought of as an elohim had to be replaced by another?23. But his wife told him, "If YHWH had wanted to put us to death, He would not have received an ascending [offering] or a contribution from our hands, nor would He have let us see all these things or hear such things at a time like [this]." His wife brought balance back to his extreme viewpoint, she reasoned rightly that YHWH was not just out to kill His servants. Considering his appearance as described in verse 6, they could have thought this was Moshe himself, since no one knows what became of his body, and if so, they knew that in the Torah communicating with the dead is a capital offense. But this messenger was the one who did the contacting, so they were not to blame.24. And the woman did bear a son, and she called his name "Shimshon". As the lad grew up, YHWH [kept] blessing him. Shimshon means "sunshine" or "intense sunlight". Was his hair bright--or fiery red--when he was born? Josephus says the name signified strength.25. And the spirit of YHWH began to repeatedly impel him [to go] into the camp of Dan between Tzaur'ah and Eshta'ol. The camp of Dan: a defensive war camp where the Filistines were held at bay, as this was on the border of the area they occupied. (14:1) Tzaur'ah means "hornet"; Eshta'ol means "entreaty". Shimshon had to be pushed or beaten into going to a place where he could identify his enemy and recognize his purpose--where he could learn to be not just a warrior but a leader of others as well, as he tended very much to act as a loner.
Timnath: only about five miles to the west of Shimshon's hometown of Tzor'ah. The name means "a portion weighed out, assigned, or counted." It appears to have been the place designated for Israelites to pay taxes to the Filistines. (15:1) There may have been a governor there representing the king.2. And he came [back] up and told his father and mother, and said, "I have seen a woman in Timnath from the daughters of the Filistines, so now get her for me to be a wife. Came up: returned to the land of Israel. Note that the father was the one who arranged the marriage even if his son chose the wife. (Compare Gen. 21:21; 24:4) His superior wisdom was usually the reason for this, but in this case it was disregarded:3. But his father and mother said to him, "Isn't there a woman among the daughters of your relatives and among all of my people, that you are going to take a wife from the daughters of the uncircumcised Filistines?" But Shimshon said to his father, "Get her for me, because she is right in my eyes!" Not just a Danite girl, but any Israelite would have been acceptable, but instead he chooses what is disgraceful to his people. Right: or straight, approved, smooth, level. He had not even spoken to her to find out what she was like, so he was clearly driven by the basest of motives.4. Now his father and mother did not realize that it was from YHWH, because He was seeking an opening from the Filistines, because at that time the Filistines had dominion in Israel. Opening: or occasion to make an inroad to defeat them. The term is also used of an animal in heat--the only occasion when she lets the male near. Shimshon could get closer to the heart of enemy territory through an amorous relationship than he could in a belligerent role. He was seeking: YHWH, not Shimshon; the latter was not very interested in this task; he was actually fascinated by Filistine culture instead. So, as when He hardened the hearts of Israel's enemies (Y'hoshua 11:20), YHWH was using the "left-hand" approach: if Shimshon would not be motivated by all his parents had told him about who he was meant to be, then YHWH would use his evil inclination to attract him to the place He wanted him.5. So Shimshon went with his father and mother down to Timnath, and they were coming to the vineyards in Timnath when, lo and behold, one of the young lions came roaring to meet him. 6. But a spirit [from] YHWH rushed onto him [to make him effective], and he tore it apart as [one could] tear apart a baby goat, with nothing in his hand, but he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Shimshon was not necessarily strong at any other time but when YHWH's empowering spirit came upon him like this. He may not have even been a big or muscular man. He did not want them to know that what they had told him about all his life had finally arrived, because he did not want to carry out that role; all he seems to have been interested in was women. He is in denial of his true identity, just as most of Christianity is, not wanting to live as Israelites because they do not like the Torah, but have their eye on something else they like. Yahshua asked whether the role YHWH asked Him to fill could pass by him, but he ultimately determined that what YHWH wanted was more important than what he wanted for himself. Shimshon was not willing to even ask, or even run away like Yonah; he seems to have just ignored his calling until it happened to coincide with his own anger at some Filistines.7. Then he went down and talked to the woman, and she was right in Shimshon's eyes. His opinion did not change after he got to know her a little bit better. Did he propose to her on his own and leave his father out of it?8. And after some days, as he was coming back to fetch her, he turned aside to see the remains of the lion, and, lo and behold, [there was] a swarm of bees in the lion's carcass--with honey! To fetch her: or, get her, take her, bring her away--after his father determined that he had an appropriate dwelling place for a bride built. It is clear that some time has indeed passed, because a beehive is not built overnight. Remains: from the word for "fallen". Swarm: literally, a congregation of witnesses. Timnath was in Yehudah's territory, thus there is a deeper allusion here: a congregation came about because of the death of the lion of Yehudah. From another angle, we could say Shimshon was deriving his joy and nourishment from a different congregation, one that was built around death, rather than life as the Torah is. (Deut. 30:19-20)9. So he scraped [it] out onto [the palms of] his hands, and went on walking while he ate, and he went to his father and mother and gave [some] to them, and they ate, but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the carcass of the lion. Normally, a Nazir's vow would be nullified if he touched a dead body (Num. 6:6-12), and he would need to shave and begin his vow over again. Like Chawwah giving the fruit to Adam, he included his parents in his sin as well. Not that the honey itself was unclean, but if he touched the dead body, corpse uncleanness would spread to them if they touched him. (Lev. 15:9ff) They would not have been responsible to do anything about it until they found out about it. (Lev. 5:2) This may be why he said nothing about it to his parents, though there is a slight possibility that he used another instrument to remove the honey and did not actually touch the corpse.10. And his father went down to the woman, and Shimshon made a drinking-party there, because that is how the young men did things. Shimshon was not to have any strong drink either. But he himself did not make the Nazir's vow for him; YHWH Himself determined that it would be so. Therefore, apparently his vow cannot be broken. As YHWH put His "hand" out to shield Moshe from seeing Him so he would not die, and, as He told him then, He has mercy on whomever He wishes. Shimshon is a vessel chosen for honor (see Romans 9:22-23; 2 Tim. 2:20-21), despite his lack of conviction. YHWH has something in mind for each of us, and though we all do foolish things, that we turn out right in the final analysis is what He is most concerned about.11. But what took place [was that], when they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. They saw that he was not a Filistine, so they made it possible for him to participate in this wedding custom that they had. They may have been similar to today's "groomsmen".12. So Shimshon said to them, "Please let me you present you with a riddle [to guess]. If you can actually tell me [the answer] to it [within the] seven days of the [wedding] feast, and you get it, then I will give you thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes. Linen wraps: commonly worn as a sole garment, as an undergarment, or as a sheet to sleep in. They are what the "capable woman" is said to make in order to sell. (Prov. 31:24)13. "But if you are not able to tell me [the answer], then you must give me thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes." So they said to him, "Tell us your riddle, so we can hear it." 14. So he said, "Out of the eater came something to eat;
But for three days they were unable to solve the riddle. Strong: or fierce, tough. Solve: literally, declare, tell, or explain.15. But then on the seventh day, they said to Shimshon's wife, "Entice your man, so he will make the riddle known to us, or else we'll burn you and your father's house with fire! You've invited us [in order] to ruin us, haven't you?" Ruin: impoverish, dispossess, take what we have as your own inheritance. Why does the account jump from the third day to the seventh? The third day seems irrelevant to the story, so there is all the more reason to look into why it is there. It may be one of the earliest prophecies of Yahshua's resurrection--out of the earth, which consumes all men, came forth the bread of life! The seventh day is a picture of the Kingdom age, so when we see the bride being hounded by enemies to press the bridegroom for information they can use to blackmail him, we may have a prophecy that in the last days the "other kingdom" will threaten the Messiah's bride to "give what is holy to dogs" and "cast her pearls before swine". In reality, the world is already doing this, as all information is assumed to belong to the public domain, and none to be kept only to a chosen few.16. So Shimshon's wife shed tears over him and said, "You only hate me! You don't love me! You haven't even told me the [answer to the] riddle that you've presented to the sons of my people." But he told her, "Look, I haven't even told my father or my mother; so would I tell you?" Clearly in ancient Israel it was common for a man to give his parents more consideration and honor than his wife.17. [All] seven days on which they had the feast she had been weeping over him, so on the seventh day he did reveal it to her, because she pressed him [so much], then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. This sounds like a contradiction--that she had been weeping all seven days for something they did not tell her until the last day. Apparently she was upset because she was not privy to his most intimate secrets since she was now his wife, and should know things before the others did, but he did not see it that way. What changed was that she was now being threatened, but since she did not tell him this, to him her more urgent plea just sounded like all the more nagging, so he humored her because it was becoming so annoying.18. And before the sun went [down] on the seventh day, the men of the city said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?" He told them, "If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, you wouldn't have guessed my riddle!" Plowed: the term also means "to devise or plot evil". Heifer: He has lost all respect for her, but this also may have been a common idiom.19. Then a spirit of YHWH rushed upon him [to make him effective], and he went down to Ashqelon and struck down thirty of them, and took the spoils of which he stripped them to give the changes [of clothing] to those who had solved the riddle, and his anger burned, so he went up to his father's house, Again he does not recognize that the spirit is from YHWH; he is just reacting out of anger. There is a play on words here in Hebrew: "spoils" is khalitzah and "changes" is khalifah. Actually, khalitzah is used on several occasions to refer to apparel and robes of state worn by the proud (Yeshayahu 3:22) After all, why did he go to Ashqelon when it is not the nearest of the Filistine cities? It is some twenty miles from Timnath! In Amos 1:8, we are told that Ashqelon held the scepter--i.e., was the Filistine capital. (Compare Ts'fanyah 2:7.) There Shimshon could find especially fine robes to give them--of the same caliber as those Yoseyf had given to his brothers when he was second ruler in Egypt. (Gen. 45:22) Of course, he did not promise that they would not be stained with blood, and if they were it served these men right. Went up to his father's house: He was so disgusted with them and with her for playing along with them that he did not even stay to consummate the marriage, for the Filistines waited until the seventh day, but simply paid his debt and left, so his father-in-law assumed he wanted the marriage annulled:20. and Shimshon's wife came to belong to his companion, who had been a close friend to him. Apparently this friend--possibly the "best man" at his wedding--was also a Filistine. After all, Shimshon had grown up in the next town from the Filistines. Yet they are the oppressors and he is embracing them while turning his back on his heritage. He is therefore in league with them and a traitor to his people. But now that he has a reason to hate them, having seen their true colors, this can begin to change.
Being the season of wheat harvest (which begins at Shavuoth), Israelites would have to go down to Timnath to bring a certain percentage of their grain as tax, so of course he thought of her when going there. Inner chamber: used in a special sense of the room where the wedding is consummated. The kid would have been a token of appreciation.2. And her father said, "I truly thought that you really hated her, so I gave her to your companion! Isn't her younger sister better than she? Please let her become yours instead of her!" Better: Aramaic, more beautiful. He had already received the bride price, so he knew he owed Shimshon something, and in his nervous recognition that he did the wrong thing, he comes up with a solution he thinks will work for an Israelite. Archaeology tells us that the Filistines liked to learn about other cultures (and absorb their customs), and he shows that he knows the story of Rakhel, whom Yaaqov loved more than her elder sister. He thinks he is doing Shimshon a favor by offering her his "Rakhel".3. But Shimshon said, "This time I have been more innocent the Filistines, though I am doing them harm!" When he killed the 30 Filistines, they were not covered by the Torah, and really should have been destroyed because foreigners who did not keep Torah are not to be allowed to live in YHWH's Land. But since he had acted out of self-interest then, he felt they would have had a right to complain about it. But now they cannot blame him, because they have wronged him. Yet though he was "right", he was still wrong. He was still acting from selfish motives, yet YHWH was using his "left hand" to train his "right hand" as he built up his strength and confidence, so that by the time his motives improved he would be fearless. He was serving his left hand, yet YHWH used his right to accomplish his purposes. He would be rewarded insofar as the vengeance on the Filistines took place, but he would still have to pay for what he was "sowing to the flesh".4. And Shimshon went and caught 300 foxes and took torches and turned them tail to tail, and put one torch in the middle between the two tails. Apparently he tied both tails together around the torch. While he worked with the first ones, he may have kept the others in ditches or pits until he was ready for them. One way Israelite settlements are identified by archaeologists is when such pits are found beneath the floor of houses. Wheat kernels stored there have even been found, still intact after 3,000 years!5. And when he had set the torches on fire, he would let them loose into the Filistines' standing grain and burn up [everything] from the stacks and the standing stalks to the vineyard [and the] olive tree. In their fear, they would spin, roll, and run around erratically, lighting many of the drying crops on fire.6. When the Filistines said, "Who has done this?", they said, "Shimshon, the Timnite's son-in-law, because he took his wife away and gave her to his companion." So the Filistines went up and burned her and her father in the fire. They were looking for a scapegoat, but they may have known the Torah command that an arsonist must pay for what he destroys. (Ex. 22:6) So they struck where Shimshon would feel the most pain, since they did not dare try to fight him directly.7. Then Shimshon told them, "If this is how you are going to act, then I will be avenged on you, but [not until] after I finish!" I.e., We were even, but if you will retaliate again, so will I.8. Then he attacked them [and struck them down], calf over thigh [with] a huge defeat, then went down and lived in the cleft of the crag of Eytam. Calf: that is, of the leg. It sounds like he broke their knees and turned their legs backwards, or at least turned them upside down. The Aramaic interprets this as an idiom for "horsemen along with footmen." Eytam: the name means "lair of wild beasts" or "swooping down like a bird of prey." Shimshon went, at the same time of year, to the kind of place Moshe had gone to ask YHWH to reveal Himself, because he was frustrated and did not know what to do next.9. When the Filistines started coming up and camping in Yehudah and making raids on Lekhi, Eytam is either in Shim'on's territory (which is intermingled with Yehudah's) or a town of Yehudah between Beyth Lechem and Hevron--though the latter would entail going up, not down, to get to from Filistine territory. In any case, Yehudah, not his own tribe of Dan, is held responsible for harboring him:10. the men of Yehudah said, "Why have you come up against us?" And they said, "We have come up to tie up Shimshon, [so we can] do to him as he has done to us!" The men: literally, a man.11. So 3,000 men of Yehudah went down to the cleft of the crag of Eytam and said to Shimshon, "Don't you realize that the Filistines are dominating us? So what is this you have done to us?" But he told them, "I did to them as they did to me!" It should not take that many men to subdue Shimshon (those his next act calls even that into question), but they were afraid of the Filistines' revenge, and want to show them that they are taking their concern seriously; it is a political move. As with Moshe, he is seen as making it harder on them rather than as a deliverer, so they do not even consider making this strong man their military leader, but rather join together in their fear to show Shimshon that this is not just a few men's opinion, but the majority thinks he is doing things the wrong way. They see him as a wild man who has lost his senses.12. But they said to him, "We have come down to take you prisoner so we can hand you over to the Filistines." So he told them, "Swear to me so that you won't attack me yourselves." They were willing to sacrifice him for "peace", as many men of Yehudah are doing now with the Land that YHWH gave and the people who are trying to hold onto it. But being betrayed by his brothers makes him recognize how until now he has been betraying them by being so friendly with their oppressors. With such pious parents, he surely must have known the story of Moshe at Mt. Sinai, and he must have been struck by both the similarity of his situation with Moshe's--and the difference. Moshe had been in the cleft of the rock on behalf of all Israel, but he is there only for himself. He takes the rebuke as from YHWH.13. So they spoke to him to say, "No, because we will take you, bound, as prisoner and hand you over to them, but we will certainly not kill you." And they tied him up with two fresh cords and brought him up from the cliff. Fresh cords: made of vines that were still green, and therefore not easy to break. Yet he goes with them peacefully, recognizing that, as his parents had told him so often, he was supposed to be acting on behalf of Israel, and was not being faithful to that.14. When he arrived at Lekhi, the Filistines [came] to get him, shouting triumphantly. But the spirit of YHWH rushed on him [to make him effective], and the cords that were on his arms became like flax that had been burnt by fire, and his bonds started dropping away from his hands. The spirit of YHWH: Aramaic, a spirit of power from before YHWH. Dropping away: literally, melting.15. And he found a [still] putrefying jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and snatched it up, and beat a thousand men [to death] with it. Still-putrefying: moist, or dripping; he would have become corpse-unclean by this again, unless he tore it from a live donkey, and it was still dripping with blood. The Aramaic targum simply says he found the jawbone in the mud, in which case it would be moist as well. In any case, it was not yet brittle and thus would not crumble as he used it.16. Then Shimshon said, "With the jawbone of the donkey…A donkey! Two heaps! With the jawbone of the donkey, I have beaten a thousand men [to death]!" A donkey…heaps: He is thinking poetically, for the Hebrew word for heap is khamorah, which sounds like it should be the feminine equivalent of the word for donkey, which is khamor. This occurs to him and he sees the humor in it. A light comes on and he sees the Filistine people not as people to marry but as asinine.17. Then when he had finished speaking, what he did was throw the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place "Ramath Lekhi" [Jawbone Height]. 18. But he was becoming extremely thirsty, so he called to YHWH and said, "You have given this great deliverance into the hand of Your servant, but now I am dying of thirst, and will fall into the hand of the uncircumcised!" At last he is recognizing YHWH's hand in his bouts of great strength. He clearly did not assume the strength would be there at just any time that he wanted it, and he finally submits himself as servant--at least for the time being. Note that it would be a far worse thing for him to fall into the hands of the Gentiles than to simply die of thirst.19. And Elohim split open the hollow place that is at Lekhi, and water came out of it. As he drank, his spirit began to return, and he revived. On account of this, its name is called Eyn haQore' [Spring of the One Who Calls], which is in Lekhi to this day. Hollow place: the term is used today for huge craters on the earth's surface left by the erosion of softer stone. At Lekhi: or possibly even, in the jawbone, for it is truly ambiguous here. The Aramaic version does take it as flowing from a molar in the jawbone! If it is the latter, this would truly be another case of provision coming out of something unclean in the time of emergency need. If the former, the water from a rock gives him another point of identification with Moshe, and he steps up to the challenge of being a leader as he was:20. And he judged Israel in the days of the Filistines for twenty years. This act of his, and possibly also the miracle of the water, also finally make the people recognize that he is supposed to be their leader. The Filistines are still a problem, but they no longer rule Israel; Shimshon does. David was chosen to rule because he knew how to lay his life on the line for sheep; Even Sha'ul was out looking for lost animals when he was called up to be king. Likewise, Shimshon is learning--albeit the hard way--to care for his people. The wheat harvest is the time for this, as the Counting of the Omer that immediately precedes it (Lev. 23:15) is all about finding out how each of us can most effectively build up the body. (Efesians 4) He will prove to still be inclined to trouble, but this recognition at least allows him to take his place as ruler of his people.
'Azzah: i.e., Gaza, a city much in the news in our day. It seems this visit was an afterthought, not the reason he came. Did he, like some earlier Israelites who visited a prostitute, go into this enemy city as a spy? Prostitution is forbidden within Israel; it is considered senseless and a disgrace to one's father. (Deut. 22:21; compare Gen. 34:7, 31 and 38:24.) Not that it was never found in Israel, but this is because Israel actually rarely walked in the Torah. By Yahshua's time it was common (Mat. 21:31-32), but it was not long after this that the nation fell apart. YHWH considers it the first step to the whole Land becoming filled with lewdness. (Lev. 19:29) If this one thing is let slide, it is "all downhill from there". But note that it is the father's responsibility not to allow it; it is really just a sign of the loss of respect and honor due one's parents. It loosens the rest of the Torah, and soon responsible living is out the window. Thus it is never to be brought into Israel. But there seems to be no prohibition against dishonoring one's enemies in this way. Shimshon was already a judge of Israel; if he uses a prostitute in a foreign city, it is probably because he is flaunting the fact of how easy it was for him to just enter the city unobstructed and taking whatever he wants since the Filistines no longer have their grip on Israel's throat. Hence their strong desire to get rid of the one who defended her.2. The 'Azzathites were told, "Shimshon has come here!" So they surrounded [it] and set an all-night ambush for him at the city gate, and remained silent all night, saying, "[Wait] until the morning light; then we will kill him!" Remained silent: or, dug in, devised a plot.3. But Shimshon lay down until midnight, then got up in the middle of the night and took hold of the doors of the city's gate and the two sideposts, along with the bar, set them on his shoulders, and took them up to the top of the mountain that is on the face of Hevron! Now how could they wait outside the gate? There was no gate! But wouldn't this have slowed him down enough to capture him? The men lying in wait may have fallen asleep since they did not expect him until the morning. Or they may simply not have dared to attack a man who could carry away the city gate, even though they far outnumbered him, realizing they had underestimated his strength. And this was not just across the next field; Hevron is about 35 miles from 'Azzah, and it is all uphill! This gives new meaning to "possessing the gate of his enemies"! (Gen. 22:17) Here it would be visible from afar off, both to the east and west, and would serve as a "war memorial". Apparently his encounter with the prostitute did not make YHWH take His spirit away from Shimshon. As he operated in his proper role now, the strength seemed to remain with him rather than just coming occasionally.4. And after this he came to love a woman in the Soreq [River] Valley, and her name was D'lilah. We are not told whether D'lilah was an Israelite or a Filistine. But her name means "feeble"--definitely an "unequal yoke" for him! This should have signaled him to stay away, lest she bring him down into a position of feebleness as well. And Soreq means "choice grapes" or "choice wine"--certainly no place for a Nazir to spend time! It seems women still were this strong man's real weakness.5. And the rulers of the Filistines came up to her and said, "Persuade him to open up, and find out wherein his great strength [lies], and by what [means] we might overpower him, so we can tie him up and bring him down, and we each [promise to] give you 1,100 [pieces of] silver." Bring him down: weaken, humiliate, afflict, or keep busy (so he stays "out of trouble"). She lives up to her bad name, being willing to sell out one who loved her. With her name, she has no motivation not to cave in to the influence of a bribe.6. So D'lilah said to Shimshon, "Please tell me wherein your great strength [lies] and what it would take to bring you down! With what could you be tied [down]?" He has already shown that he could burst the ropes with which he was tied. But he plays along with her assumption:7. So Shimshon told her, "If they were to tie me up with seven fresh cords [of excessive length] that have never been dried, then I would be as weak as anyone [else]." Fresh cords: The ropes he broke in 15:14 must have been old ones! So try this Cords of excessive length: possibly bowstrings, since they "get longer" when used. Anyone: literally, [only] one person--for now he still had the strength of many, as evidenced by his great feats.8. And the rulers of the Filistines brought up to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them. 9. Now there was an ambush waiting for her in the innermost room, and she said to him, "Filistines are upon you, Shimshon!" And he snapped the cords as a strand of flax-tow is snapped when it senses a fire, so [the source of] his strength was not found out. Flax tow: what is shaken from the flax when beaten. Senses: literally, smells. By speaking of strands, he was actually giving hints at his hair being part of the secret.10. And D'lilah said to Shimshon, "Aha! You mocked me, and have been telling me lies! Please tell me what you could be tied down with!" Mocked: trifled with, scorned me, shown me no respect, or possibly, "kept me in suspense" (thalal as opposed to hathal).11. So Shimshon said, "If they were to tie me up [really well] with new interwoven cords with which no work has been done, then I would be as weak as anyone [else]." A threefold cord is not easily broken--but interwoven cords would suggest the braids of his hair, so he is actually giving her hints.12. So D'lilah took new interwoven cords and tied him up with them, and said to him, "Filistines are upon you, Shimshon!" while the ambush waited in the inner room. But he snapped them off his arms like thread. Why does he keep allowing her to do this, when he knows she has at least one accomplice? He seems to simply have enjoyed teasing her, thinking it would always be only a joke.13. Then D'lilah said to Shimshon, "Thus far you've mocked me and have been telling me lies! Tell me what you could be bound with!" So he told her, "If you were to weave the seven braids of my head [in] with the [unfinished product on the] loom…" He is getting closer to giving away the secret of his strength. Unfinished product: called a "web".14. So she fastened it with a pin, then said to him, "Filistines are upon you, Shimshon!" And he awoke out of his sleep, and started to drag away the pin, the shuttle, and [what was on] the loom! This hints at his having been asleep every time she set him up for the ambush. Drag away: or travel with. I.e., it was as if it weighed nothing, though he was all tangled up with it.15. So she said to him, "How can you say 'I love you' while your heart is not with me? These three times you have mocked me, and have not told me wherein your great strength [lies]!" She clearly has a different definition of love than he does.16. So it came about that since she pressed him every day with her words and urged him [so strongly] that his soul was shortened to death "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!" He had been warned by his first wife's behavior that it was not safe to entrust his secrets to women. (Compare Gen. 3:17; Mikha 7:5.) He should have strengthened his area of vulnerability, but instead he plays with fire. Shortened: vexed, made impatient, reaped, harvested. I.e., he got so tired of hearing it that he finally gave in. Yahshua warned us that persistence could have this effect. His emotions were just that--his--so if he owned them, why was he surrendering to them?17. and he revealed his whole heart to her, and told her, "A razor has never come upon my head, because I am a Nazir of Elohim from my mother's womb. If I am shaved [bald], then my strength will depart from me, and I will be as weak as anyone [else]." He now speaks in a definite rather than the indefinite, theoretical tense that he has used all along up to this point. Revealed his whole heart: Until this point, he had demonstrated that, like the vain Avshalom who also had long hair, he enjoyed showing off. But he had not advertised the fact that he was a Nazir. If he had anything to be arrogant about, that was it, but he kept that card hidden. He knew how serious this was; unlike Avshalom, his long hair was something truly sacred. Now he "gave what was holy to the dogs", and indeed they turned on him. (Mat. 7:6)18. When D'lilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and summoned the rulers of the Filistines, saying, "Come up this time, because he has told me all [that is in] his heart." So the rulers of the Filistines came up to her, and brought the silver along in their hand. 19. And she [lulled] him to sleep on her knees, then called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head, then she began to browbeat him. But his strength was departing from him. Browbeat: or humble, humiliate, afflict. Simply shaving his head was in itself symbolic of humiliation. But it was not his hair itself that was his strength, but his obedience to YHWH. Now he had foolishly forfeited the support that came with that obedience by telling the secret to one who only wanted to sell it--a merchant. As we near the days when Yahshua said even relatives would betray one another, we must gain the discipline to keep our mouths shut!20. When she said, "Filistines are upon you, Shimshon!", he awoke out of his sleep and thought, "I'll go out like [I did] time after time [before] and shake myself [free]." But he was not aware that YHWH had removed [Himself] from [being] upon him. He had put himself in a position to have his vow violated, and even though he did not do so himself, he forfeited YHWH's help while presuming everything would be just as it had been at other times. He took the strength for granted, having gotten used to having it there whenever he wanted, when it was really only there because YHWH allowed it. Like Avshalom, he tried to live on his father's reputation of holiness and yet get away with giving in to his own desires. Like David, his father might not have disciplined him, for the keeping of this vow was really his parents' responsibility, since they initially agreed to it on his behalf. Fear of doing the wrong thing--or simply too much respect for someone who was strong but still not wise--may have kept them from doing anything about his inclinations. They left it all up to YHWH.21. So the Filistines seized him and gouged out his eyes, then brought him down to 'Azzah, [where] they bound him with bronze fetters, and he was grinding [out grain] in the house of those imprisoned. It was his eyes that had gotten him into trouble with women so many times, so this was a fitting judgment, grisly though it was. He had lost his focus, and now love had literally made him blind. Now "hard labor" truly was difficult for him, for, though he could still do it, he was indeed now "like just one man".22. But the hair of his head began to grow [back as soon] as he was shaven clean. This defeat was a setback, but did not have to be final. Like any Nazir, he could start over.23. Now the Filistine rulers gathered themselves together to offer a great slaughter to Dagon, their idol, and to make merry, as they said, "Our deity has given our enemy Shimshon into our hand!" Idol, deity: as described in Aramaic; the Hebrew word is elohim in both cases. The name of Dagon, the god of this "sea people", means "the great fish". And even when they settled on the land and started growing crops, its name was like the word for "grain"--dagan. How convenient! Archaeologist William F. Albright though it might have indeed been a god of vegetation. A fish-tailed deity appears on coins from Ashqelon, and other depictions show it as a man with large fish-like lips. Its worship seems to have first appeared around 2,500 B.C.E. In Y'hoshua's time, two settlements in Kanaan had been called "House of Dagon". (Y'hoshua 15:41; 19:27)24. When the people saw him, they started boasting about their idol, because they said, "Our deity has handed over to us our enemy and the one who laid our land waste and who multiplied our slain!" 25. And it was when their heart was delighted that they said, "Call for Shimshon so he can entertain us!" So they summoned Shimshon from the house of the imprisoned, and he brought laughter to their faces. Then they stood him between the pillars. Heart was delighted: probably with an abundance of wine--imported, of course, since Shimshon had burned their vineyards! This time his head is clear. Entertain: They may have asked him to lift some heavy items just to parade the fact that he no longer could. The pillars: Temples to Dagon have been found in several locations with the same design. At Beyth-She'an one can clearly see the bases of two such pillars that are about a meter in diameter and a little bit further apart, so that he would have been able to reach them both at the same time. On these two pillars the main weight of the whole building rested.26. Then Shimshon said to the servant-boy who was steadying his hand, "Let me rest, and let me feel the pillars on which the house is established, so I can lean on them." He pretended to still be weak and exhausted so as not to raise any suspicion, but he had a plan, and gave YHWH something to work with.27. Now the house was filled with the men and women, and all the rulers of the Filistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women watching [them] make fun of Shimshon. 28. And Shimshon called out to YHWH and said, "My Master YHWH! Please remember me, and strengthen me, please, just this once, O Elohim! And let me get one revenge on the Filistines for my two eyes!" Called out to: LXX, wept before. Literally, let me be avenged one vengeance. The emphasis may be on destroying so many "with one blow". He was a ruler in Israel and belonged to YHWH, so this was not an arrogant thing to ask for. Like David, he asks for his enemies to be killed not just for YHWH's sake, but for his own. Since he has brought wrath on men for YHWH's sake, he can ask YHWH to do the same for him. We are not to touch YHWH's anointed; how much more important are those He treasures than our possessions? He was valuable, so this abuse deserved more than acquiescence, though he had deserved the humbling. Vengeance is YHWH's, yet He brings it through men. Do not let yourself be cheated out of this right by an overgrown sense of humility.29. Then Shimshon grasped [with a twisting motion] the two central pillars on which the house was established and supported, one with his right hand and one with his left. Right and left: possibly symbolic of his "two eyes", for he would not only get revenge with his "right eye" on those who would dare to give credit to a pagan deity; he would also finally put an end to his "left eye"--the evil inclination that had gotten him into this predicament.30. And Shimshon said, "I myself will perish with the Filistines!" And he gave a mighty thrust and the house fell on the rulers and all the people who were in it. And the toll of those he killed at his own death was more than those he had killed during his life. YHWH did respect this plea for an opening to repent and fulfill his calling, though he knew it was the last thing he would do. He would have also been obeying the command to break down the idols that had been allowed to be set up in YHWH's Land. An idol of Dagon was defaced at another time as well (1 Shmu'el 5), yet despite these clear displays of YHWH's superiority, the worship of Dagon continued to spread even into Mesopotamia for centuries after this. A temple to him was built at Mari in the 18th century B.C.E., and at Ugarit in the 14th. As late as 701 B.C.E., Sennakheriv of Assyria mentions him by name.31. And his brothers and all of his father's household came down and carried him off and took him up and buried him between Tzor'ah and Eshtha'ol in his father Manoakh's tomb. And he had judged Israel twenty years. Shimshon died an early death, apparently with no heir, because of his wrong choices. Yet YHWH used even this "vessel chosen for destruction" to accomplish His purpose as well.
Mikhayahu means "Who is like YHWH?"2. And he said to his mother, "The 1,100 [pieces of] silver which were taken from you, and you pronounced a curse and you also spoke in my hearing--look! Here is the silver with me; I took it." And his mother said, "My son is blessed for YHWH." 1,100 pieces of silver: It is difficult not to connect this to D'lilah, who was paid this same amount by the Filistines to betray Shimshon. (16:5) Was she Mikhayahu's mother? If so, was Shimshon his father? Though this is a strong hint, the scribe who wrote this account may have had the discretion to hesitate to directly give this man that much credit, since what he did was not very honoring to one as prominent as his father. Pronounced a curse: probably on whomever stole her money. Now that he returns it, she rescinds the curse, as she argues that he at least has the decency to confess his sin, even if he is just afraid of the curse alighting on him. If he is Shimshon's son, he is as spoiled as his father was.3. When he had given his mother back the 1,100 [pieces of] silver, his mother said, "I had completely dedicated the silver to YHWH from my hand for my son to make a carved image and a cast [metal] image, so now I am giving it back to you!" How ironic that she was already planning to give it to him anyway, though it was for a purpose. Now that she sees evidence that YHWH does have some influence in his life, she puts him in charge of her religious project. Cast: or, melted and poured. Why would she be dedicating money to YHWH to do something He had commanded not to make? This shows how confused Israel had become, ands Shimshon had apparently not set them back on track very well. Though he had been a leader in throwing off the Filistines' yoke, he did not teach the knowledge of YHWH.4. But he gave the silver back to his mother, so his mother took 200 [pieces of the] silver and gave them to a refiner, and he made it a carved image and a cast [metal] image, and it came to be in the house of Mikhayahu. This strange back-and-forth exchange ends with his apparent refusal since he does not feel worthy of such a task, having robbed his own mother. Refiner: smelter or founder. If she had dedicated all of it to YHWH, why does she now diminish the amount? The next verse may give us a clue as to what was done with the rest:5. Now the man Mikhah had a house of elohim, and he made an efod and trafim, then he filled the hand of one of his sons, and he came to serve as a priest for him. Mikhah: a shortened version of Mikhayahu, from which YHWH's name is now missing. An efod is part of the garb of the high priest. Such a thing had caused trouble for Gid'on; would this man not have learned from that? Yet he was so eager to serve something that he made one anyway. Trafim are an idolatrous accoutrement that the etymology of the word tells us had something to do with healing. Filled the hand: an idiom for ordaining someone for a special task, especially used of the priesthood.6. (In those days there was no king in Israel, and [each] man did [what was] right in his own eyes.) The king was to write for himself a copy of the Torah upon accession to his throne (Deut. 17:18), so that he would enforce the Torah. With no king to do so, the people retained some recollection of YHWH, yet it was mixed with all the things they had learned from the other nations with whose ideas they were enamored. At this time there was no particular oppressor, but the people still perished for lack of knowledge. (Hos. 4:6) They were kept low simply by the fact that there was no leader. The elohim of the peoples around them still owned them, though they were not aware that they were still enslaved. They felt free; they could do whatever they wanted.7. Now there was a lad from Beyth-Lekhem of Yehudah, from a family of Yehudah, though he was a Levite and had sought hospitality there. 8. Then the man went from the city--from Beyth-Lekhem of Yehudah--to seek hospitality wherever he might find [a place], and he ended up in the mountainous [region] of Efrayim, working his way as far as the household of Mikhah. Note how individualistic this Levite was, when he should have been assigned to a particular task in support of the priests in YHWH's sanctuary. (Num. 8:19-24) This man may have been too young to fill his role, as Levites began the first stage of their service at age 20, but he should have been at least being trained for it rather than being an itinerant. Working his way: He had apparently had enough money to make it this far and no further, so he stopped to earn more, possibly planning to keep free-lancing thereafter. We know from Ruth chapter 1 that there was a famine in Beyth-Lekhem in the days of the judges. Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 5:9:1) places this after the death of Shimshon, so this may also have been the reason this Levite left Beyth-Lekhem. But why was he there to begin with? Beyth-Lekhem was not one of the cities that had been designated for the Levites where those from other tribes were to come learn from them.9. And Mikhah said to him, "Where do you come from?" So he told him, "I am a Levite. I am from Beyth-Lekhem of Yehudah, and I am going to stay wherever I can find [a place]." 10. So Mikhah said to him, "Live with me, and come to serve as a father and a priest for me, and I will given you ten [pieces] of silver for the days, an order[ed set] of garments, and your sustenance." So the Levite proceeded Even the Levites were up for hire. For the days: possibly the feast days, in addition to his regular room and board, but this may be an idiom for "per year". It is not a very large salary, compared to what D'lilah had been paid, but he at least "had a job".11. and the Levite accepted [the invitation] to stay with the man, and the lad became to him as one of his sons. He was hired to be a father (counselor) to him (compare Gen. 14:8), but instead he was treated like a son, possibly doing the bidding of the one who hired him rather than teaching him YHWH's ways, which a priest was to do (Mal'akhi 2:7), but which he himself may have even forgotten by now. He was given a particular job, so, like most pastors today, he overlooked the idolatry in the one who hired him, and simply did what he was asked to do.12. And Mikhah filled the hand of the Levite, and he came to serve as a priest to him, and he came to be [part of] the household of Mikhah. 13. Then Mikhah said, "Now I have come to be sure that YHWH will treat me well, since the Levite has become a priest for me!" He treats this priest as a "good-luck charm", thinking it auspicious to have a "real" Levite as his priest rather than just his own son as before. His lot had improved! This felt more "authentic", but he only did it for the blessing he would receive because of this, and thus he remained far outside of YHWH's will, because Israelites were not each to hire their own private priests; they were meant to serve the whole nation together in one place, or teach from cities designated within each tribe's territory. (Y'hoshua 21) He is "in control" now, even though YHWH's name has been removed from him. Why is this story here? Possibly to let us know what became of the money D'lilah had received for betraying Shimshon. Possibly as an example of what not to do. (1 Qorinthians 10:11) But it is also a prophecy. Someone coming out of Beyth-Lekhem and finding more of a home among Efrayim sounds very much like Yahshua. (See especially Yochanan 11:54.) Yet this man is a Levite, not actually from Yehudah. Right away this does not seem right. This priest is a "personal mediator". The church has often used the term "personal savior", originally to emphasize the fact that one's father's faith will not carry one through if he does not also make it his own. But it has come to be a cliché that fits in well with today's "personal-sized pizzas", "personal computers", and "personal trainers". The context is the "mountains of Efrayim." Mountains are often symbolic of worship places. So this is about the spirituality of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (often called Efrayim since its first king was from the tribe of Efrayim). The one he served had a "house of elohim"; who has not heard a church referred to as the "house of G-d"? He has a carved image (possibly of wood) and a molded metal image--a crucifix (at least figuratively)! He is wholly funded by his mother, who had betrayed the "king of Israel" to his death. What she is about is silver, which in Scripture often symbolizes blood as well. The Church teaches much about "the blood" but is really after silver. (One of the main reasons it required priests to be celibate was so their possessions would come back to the Church when they died, rather than being dissipated as inheritance to children.) Efrayim's literal mother was an Egyptian. By the time the prophecy began to be fulfilled, there was no king in Israel, but there was one who had been proclaimed king in Yehudah, but the one who wanted to be a "priest" (though he did not have the authority to be) did not like the way the Jews did things. So they trade the life of the king for something illegal. With what is set apart, he finds one who is walking in lawlessness--who is not a priest, but takes on that role and is called a "father"--a picture of the "man of lawlessness" who pretends to be Yahshua (the "vicar of Christ). He even comes from Yahshua's hometown, yet that is not his true place of origin. Considering the old priesthood to be done away with, he ordains his own new priesthood with its own distinctive clothing--a white collar that goes from shoulder to shoulder like an efod. He establishes his own holy days. And still he attributes everything to YHWH. He is given ten pieces of silver. Five silver sheqels represents one symbolic congregation of ten men (for each man is worth half a sheqel, Ex. 30:13-15) So this is a very large congregation--one twice as big as it should be, for it is considered "universal"--encompassing anyone and everyone. Yahshua warned us of the wolves that would sneak in after he was no longer with us--when we were "shepherded" by hired men who would do their own thing but not protect the sheep from error or abuse. (Yochanan 10) This is a detailed blueprint of the deception that was to come, given long before the Kingdom of Israel divided into Yehudah and Efrayim. Every word, every phrase here is a witness to it. The way to escape this compounding confusion (which is our need today) is to fire the counterfeit priest and go back to those who teach the proper order, which the Torah establishes in detail. Then there can be a king in Israel again!
No king: First and foremost this indicates that they are not following YHWH's Torah, for if they had recognized Him as the true king as Gid'on had done, they would not have had carved images or a false priesthood. Over two hundred years after Y'hoshua assigned their inheritance, they still had no land to call their own? Had they been slack to take it? (Y'hoshua 18:3) We know that even in the days of the kings some of the area YHWH had commanded them to take had not yet been claimed. (1 Kings 22:3) How much more, when they had no king at all to press them into obedience? Yet the Danites clearly have inhabited the area assigned to them by Y'hoshua. It does not seem that they are dissatisfied with their Lot; rather, some of their area had been occupied by the Filistines, and they had most likely been limited to a few cities, and, like the Levites, did not have enough land to support the larger population that a few generations had produced since Y'hoshua's time. (See also note on verse 27.)2. So the sons of Dan sent out from their clan five men from within their borders--capable sons from Tzaur'ah and from Eshta'ol--to traverse the Land and try to find [some]. Now they told them, "Go and search out the Land!" When they had gotten as far Mikhah's house in the mountains of Efrayim, they lodged there [for the night]. Tzaur'ah was Shimshon's hometown. Eshta'ol had actually been in Yehudah's territory at first (Y'hoshua 15:33), so this may again show that Dan was being crowded out by the Filistines so that they had to spill slightly across the border into the neighboring tribe's land.3. When they were nearing the household of Mikhah, they recognized the voice of the Levite lad, so they turned aside there and said to him, "Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this [place]? And what is there for you here?" Recognized the voice: not that they knew him personally, but he was probably chanting prayers and liturgies loudly enough to be heard outside this compound as they were passing by, and when they saw his efod, they would know that he was a Levite. Knowing that this was not a Levitical city, they would wonder why he was there.4. And he told them, "Mikhah has done such and so for me when he hired me, so I have become a priest to him." Such and so: literally, like this and like this. If Mikhah was Shimshon's son, finding someone from their own tribe here, they would have had somewhat of a right to request lodging in the home of someone who had come from among them. But they took too great an advantage of his duty to be hospitable.5. So they said to him, "Please consult Elohim so we can know whether the journey on which we are going will be successful!" It was reasonable from the Torah to consult a priest for direction from YHWH, especially in regard to a battle plan. (Num. 27:21) Seeing his efod, they would assume he had urim and thummim by which to determine an answer from YHWH. (Ex. 28:30) But the context was wrong; he was not an actual high priest; he had democratized the priesthood to some extent. He had mixed pagan practices with the Torah. They were not more than ten miles from Shiloh, where the true priests would be found (v. 31); were they just too lazy to go that far? Or did they think this "liberal" priest would be more likely to tell them what they wanted to hear?6. So the priest said to them, "Go [on] to completion; the way in which you go is straight in front of YHWH." Indeed, his answer is general enough to be interpreted as they wished, and this in itself should have made them suspicious. There was no tone of warning in his voice that would have been expected from a prophet; there was none of the correction that prophecies usually brought. Just because the priesthood was false does not mean it was not a spiritual priesthood. Most pagan fortune-tellers are a sham, but some were amazingly accurate; the oracle of Delphi had a nearly flawless record, even predicting correctly the year of the Messiah's birth. Their prophecies can be true, yet not of the truth. Christianity likewise has some true "words of knowledge", but they have this sugary, overly-friendly tone of "everything will be fine" which does not make them ring true as a whole.7. So the five men walked [on] and came to Layish and saw the people living in its midst to be careless after the custom of the Tzidonians–undisturbed and confident, and there were none in the Land possessing restraint who could put them to confusion in anything, and they were far away from the Tzidonians, and they had no contact with [any] man. None in the Land possessing restraint: Aramaic targum, There was no one who harmed anything in the Land; they were small heirs… In other words, the people of Layish were overconfident that their city was secure, so they had no network of support to contact in case they needed help defending their city. They seem to have some political or ethnic loyalty to the Tzidonians, but it was loose and communication between the two was not well-structured for speedy response.8. So they came to their brothers at Tsaur'ah and at Eshta'ol, and their brothers said to them, "What do you [think]?" 9. And they said, "Get up, and let's go up against them, because we have seen the Land, and it is indeed very agreeable. So [why] are you standing still? Don't be sluggish about going to enter and seize the Land! 10. "When you go in, you will come to a careless people and a wide-open Land, because Elohim has given it into your hand--a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth!" Careless: or unsuspecting. No lack: Indeed, this city is right beside a small river that provides ample water with little effort. It has excellent farmland and is surrounded by hills that buffer it from high winds. It is high in elevation and therefore not as hot as much of the Land of Israel, and it sits right on a trade route that ran from Egypt to Mesopotamia, so that supplies were brought there often from abroad. The only defensive drawback is that it is on the edge of the Land of Israel, and only a mile or so north of the city, the road disappears between the mountains, and there would be little warning time if an enemy were coming to attack. That there is no lack "in the earth" may suggest that they were looking only at the natural advantages, and not considering whether it was really YHWH's provision. It was contiguous with the rest of Israel, but is right on the edge, and they would correspondingly becoming only marginally Israelites in living there.11. So 600 men from the clan of the Danites, from Tsaur'ah and from Eshta'ol, pulled up stakes from there, with weapons of war belted on. 12. And they went up and camped in Qiryath-Ye'arim in Yehudah. For this reason they have called that place "the camp of Dan" to this day; it's right there behind Qiryath-Ye'arim. Behind: Aramaic, west of. In true "orientation", by definition, east is straight ahead, so the west would be behind one. Dan's tribal land extends to just before this town, which is about seven miles (11 km.) west of Yerushalayim. The tribe of Dan left its name wherever they traveled; thus it is easier to trace their later travels in exile throughout the world. The Don, Danube, and Dnieper Rivers were all places they camped for extended times. Danzig (Gdansk) and Denmark were others, and another group of them, the Tuatha de Danaan, ended up all the way in what is now called Ireland. (Steve Collins et al)13. Then they crossed over [to] the mountains of Efrayim from there, and came to the house of Mikhah. 14. And the five men who had gone to traverse the territory of Layish spoke up and said to their brothers, "Did you know that there are within these houses an efod, trafim, a carved image, and a cast [metal] image? So now, you know what to do." I.e., isn't it obvious what has fallen into our hands? The last sentence may actually be a response from those to whom they are reporting, because the five end up being the ones to "do the dirty work".15. So they turned aside there and entered into the house of the Levite lad of Mikhah's household, and asked him [how his] welfare [was], 16. while the 600 from the sons of Dan, each belted with weapons of war, were stationed by the entrance to the gate. This was an estate large enough to be described in terms similar to an average walled city, though apparently not as well-defended.17. Then the five men who had gone to traverse the Land went up, and they came there and took the carved image, the efod, the trafim, and the cast [metal] image, while the priest stood [at the] entrance to the gate with the 600 men belted with weapons of war. This took place specifically because Mikhah's priest had told them all that Mikhah had done for him, not imagining that they would bring a whole army back to steal his tools! Compare Hizqiyahu's blunder in 2 Kings 20.18. When these went into Mikhah's house and took the carved image, the efod, the trafim, and the cast [metal] image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" 19. And they told him, "Keep quiet! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us, and become a father and a priest for us! Is it better for you to be a priest for one man's household or for you to be a priest for a tribe and clan in Israel?" Put your hand over your mouth: a common idiom for holding back one's words, whether one has plotted evil (Prov. 30:32) or is just humbled by the fact that he does not "know it all" (Iyov/Job 40:4; compare Iyov 21:5; 29:9).20. Then the heart of the priest was pleased, and he took the efod, the trafim, and the carved image and came into the innermost part of the people, Instead of losing his job when the trappings of his "ministry" were taken, as he had feared, he "got a raise"! Did he leave the cast-metal image? Or was it connected with the carved image, as in a crucifix?21. and they turned and departed, and put the toddlers, the cattle, and the valuables ahead of them. They seem to be imitating Yaaqov's actions in Gen. 32 and 33. But the reason for putting the more vulnerable in the front was that the attackers would come at them from behind; thus the men did remain in the defending position.22. They had gone some distance from Mikhah's house, when the men who were in the houses [that were] with Mikhah's house had been called together and pursued [and overtook] the sons of Dan. 23. And they called out to the sons of Dan, and they turned the faces [back] and said to Mikhah, "What [is it] to you, that you have been called together?" 24. And he said, "You have taken away my elohim, which I made, as well as the priest, and started walking away? What do I have left? So what is this you are saying to me, 'What [is it] to you?'!?" He has really lost nothing in having his idols and his false priest stolen away, and the Danites' gain is only a perceived one, since these things were all impostors. But it seems that Mikhah's children may have all been taken as well. (v. 21) That would be a real loss. This carries on the prophecy from the last chapter. Since Mikhah is a relative of these Danites, they represent a relative of the Roman Catholic Church which wants to use the same substitute religion that it has invented. Who else could it be but the Protestant Church, which made some half-way reforms, but left the whole pagan-based calendar of Rome in place, and preserved most of its doctrines. And it stole many of Rome's children. Rome then goes back to focusing on its own house, to "protect" the children it has left. Many antibiblical theories that were only seen as opinions on Rome's part before the reformation were afterward canonized into "infallible" doctrine to entrench them even more deeply in their paganism.25. But the sons of Dan said to him, "Don't let your voice be heard among us, lest men of bitter passion attack you, and you take away your life and the lives of your household!" I.e., "Why should we kill you needlessly? We only want the things you had!"26. Then the sons of Dan kept going their way. When Mikhah saw that they were stronger than he was, he turned and went back to his house. Jewish tradition says the counterfeit messiah who is to come will be from the tribe of Dan, based on the connection Gen. 49:17 makes between Dan and a serpent. Eschatologically, this may also prophecy the Beast system (the end-time Bavel, the reunification of all things not Israel) usurping all the outward trappings of the Church--the religion of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Even now we see everything the Church thought was its special possession becoming public domain. The lines between what is holy and what is ordinary are becoming more and more blurred. The media also call everything from the Christians' deity to the Muslims' "God", blurring the distinctions even further. Yet Mikhah then goes back home. It may be that the time that the Beast system finally co-opts the Church is when the majority of the people therein will recognize that they actually need none of it, and come back home to their true identity as Israel, as a small band of forerunners is doing now.27. And they took what Mikhah had made, as well as the priest who had belonged to him, and came to Layish against an undisturbed and confident people, and they struck them with the mouth of the sword and burned the city with fire. If Layish is the same as Leshem, as most surmise, it appears from Y'hoshua 19:47 that the Danites had already taken this city in Y'hoshua's time. Did those who conquered it assimilate to the people surrounding it? It is possible that the reference in Y'hoshua was appended later. But more likely, because the Emorites had pressed them into the mountains (1:34) a few generations prior to this, the city had not been inhabited by the Danites for sometime, and in their searching out the Land they naturally would look into the condition of a city they had had once before, and, finding it poorly defended, try to retake it before considering any other location. Layish means "lion"--a picture of Yerushalayim, which is called Ariel (the lion of Elohim), and represents all of Israel spiritually. Here, since it is described in the same terms as the whole Land of Israel was (Deut. 8:9), so it is a picture of Christianity's idea that they can replace Israel spiritually as YHWH's people. By the end times Yerushalayim may be dwelling peacefully and without defense, for the prophecies in Z'kharyah seem to say the Counterfeit Messiah will make that city his headquarters during the last part of his reign.28. And there was no one to rescue them, because it was far from Tzidon and they had no contact with anyone, and it was in the valley that belongs to Beyth-R'khov, and they rebuilt the city and lived in it. Anyone: literally, humanity (Heb., adam). Layish is across two mountain ridges from Tzidon, which is on the coast of what is now Levanon. Rebuilt: or restructured (i.e., according to their own preferences).29. And they called the name of their city Dan, in the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel (though the name of the city had originally been Layish). Dan is described as beyond Gil'ad (this same location) even while Moshe is still alive (Deut. 34:1), so it may have been intended to be that tribe's area from the beginning.30. And the sons of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Y'honathan the son of Gershom the son of Menashe--he and his sons became priests for the tribe of the Danites until the day the Land was carried into exile. This is a picture of the Abomination of Desolation being set up in the Holy Place of the Temple of YHWH. (Mat. 24:15) This tradition of idolatry was carried on and institutionalized by King Yarav'am when he set up a golden calf there. (1 Kings 12:26-30) Y'honathan means "YHWH has given". Gershom means "a foreigner there", and Menashe means "causing to forget" or "depriving". He is a picture of a false priesthood set up by the Counterfeit Messiah, whom they claim is "G-d" (Daniel 11:36), yet is a foreigner to both Israel and the Beast system, and causes the true words of YHWH to be forgotten. Yarav'am continued this tradition of idolatry in the city of Dan by setting up a golden calf there after the days of King Shlomo. (1 Kings 12:29)31. And they kept the carved image that Mikhah had made in place for themselves all the days that the House of Elohim was in Shiloh. YHWH was not dwelling at Dan at all; He remained in the Tent with those who were actually walking after Him. It was here until the ark of the covenant was moved to Yerushalayim. This could correlate with the Tabernacle's being temporarily in the wilderness again among the rest of Israel until Yahshua brings us back to reclaim Yerushalayim as his capital. In any case, as long as His presence is not fully inhabiting Yerushalayim, this type of thing will continue to occur. Any mixed religion like this is still part of the serpent system. If there had been a king in Israel, he could have shut all of this down. Even a judge could. When there is again a king in Israel, he will set things straight. But though the Torah makes allowance for there to be later a king, since YHWH knew Israel would want to be just like its neighbors, ideally there should have been no need for a human king, as Gid'on knew. The structure Moshe set up of rulers of tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands should have been enough with the priests and Levites to remind them all of what the Torah said and to consult YHWH on special questions it did not address. YHWH was meant to be Israel's King. But Israel wanted a figurehead, and Shmu'el warned what a burden this would become to Israel. So the prophecies in Y'hezq'el 45:7-9 show us that a prince in Israel will not be able to take anyone else's land, and Yahshua made it clear that he and those who rule with him will do so under a different set of rules than Gentile kings operate by. (Luqa 22:25ff)
In those days: The fact that there was no king again forms the context for the understanding of this chapter. The sense is that if there had been someone enforcing the Torah, the events described herein would not have taken place. Was this the same Levite as in the last two chapters? It would appear so, as we see his place of sojourn and his connection with Beyth-Lekhem repeated. If this is a flashback to an earlier event, this may explain more fully why this Levite's voice was recognized (18:3), for he would have been quite well-known because of the events described below. A concubine is a wife that has been purchased, and is therefore the husband's property in a more vivid way than a wife in the ordinary sense. Often concubines were already slaves prior to being taken for marital purposes.2. But his concubine cheated on him, then departed from him to her father's house in Beyth-Lekhem of Yehudah, and was there for four months' time. Cheated: literally, played the prostitute. In some cases, this only refers to idolatry, in some to sexual adultery alone, and in some cases, the two are hard to separate. He may have waited four months to see if she became pregnant, as this would be about the time she would begin tyo feel the baby moving within her if it was present. He may have been too angry prior to this to dare to approach her, lest he become overcome with rage and kill her before her guilt was proven. Or, he may simply have had levitical duties that kept him form traveling any sooner.3. Then her husband got up and went after her with his young [servant] and a [yoked] pair of donkeys to speak about her heart in order to bring her back. When she brought him into her house, her father saw him and was glad to meet him. Her heart: in Hebrew, usually used in regard to reason rather than emotions. Rather than dragging her away, he reasons with her. A husband whose wife left him would have the option of taking her back if she had not married another in the meantime. We may see an allegory similar to Hoshea, of YHWH taking back his unfaithful bride who had returned to paganism. Details such as the pair of donkeys should not be overlooked. They were not a gift to the woman's father, for we will see him depart with them after his visit. They are yoked, probably to pull a wagon. But a donkey is the only unclean animal that is described in Scripture as redeemable. (Ex. 13:13) Thus the picture is of two redeemable entities accompanying the one who comes to redeem the bride. Since Efrayim and Yehudah are the context for this story, it is undoubtedly a hint as to whom they represent. She brought him into the house, knowing her father was a hospitable man. He was grateful that he had come back to reclaim her rather than leaving her at home, unable to marry anyone else since he had not divorced her.4. And his father-in-law, the young woman's father, detained him, so he remained with him three days, and they ate and drank and lodged there. 5. Then on the fourth day they got up early in the morning and he rose up to depart. But the young woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Sustain your heart with a bit of bread, and afterward you can [all] go." Three days was the normal length of time one could assume he would be welcome to his host. He may have left because he thought his welcome would be worn out (having, of course, heard Benjamin Franklin's adage that "fish and visitors stink in three days"!) But more likely he wished to hurry on to Shiloh, which was further up the road, where he could perform the test that would prove his suspicions true or false. (Numbers 5:12ff; compare verses 9 and 18 below.) If so, tyhis could explain her father's frequent attempts to detain him, knowing that if she were proven guilty, he would never have grandchildren through her.6. So they sat down and ate, the two of them together, then they drank. And the young woman's father said to the man, "Please accept an invitation to stay overnight, and let your heart be glad." 7. But the man rose up to go, and his father-in-law pressed him, so he turned back and spent the night there. 8. And he got up early in the morning on the fifth day to go, but the young woman's father said, "Please sustain your heart." So they delayed until the day was declining, then both of them ate. 9. Then the man rose up to go--he, his concubine, and his young [servant]. But his father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "Please notice [that] the day has sunk down into evening; please spend the night! Look at the decline of the day! Stay overnight here and let your heart be glad, and you can [all] get up early tomorrow for your journey, and you can go to your tent." Your tent: probably a reference to the Tabernacle since he more likely lived in a house, but he would not have had any duties there, as Levites only served the Tent of Appointment when it was time to move it to another location; only the priests would work there the rest of the time. So he had to be going for a different reason. (See note on verse 5.)10. But the man would not consent to stay the night, and he got up and left with a yoked pair of donkeys, and his concubine was with him. And he went until [they were] opposite Y'vus (which is [now] Yerushalayim). 11. They were within [sight of] Y'vus when the day was far spent, but the young [servant] said to his master, "Please come and let's turn aside to this Y'vusite city, and lodge in it for the night." The Y'vusites had been allowed to continue to live here on the border between Yehudah and Binyamin's territory. The Yehudites could not drive them out of this one well-fortified city (Y'hoshua 15:63) and the Binyamites failed to do so. (Judges 1:21) Not until David wanted to make the city his capital were they defeated by Israel. (1 Chron. 11:6)12. But his master said to him, "Let's not turn aside to a foreign city, which is not of the descendants of Israel, but we'll go on through as far as Giv'ah." Though it was getting dark, he did not wish to take the easy way when it mean exposing his concubine to pagan influences.13. And he said to his young [servant], "Come, and we can go inside one of the places to spend the night in Giv'ah or in Ramah." They expected that they would be safer in a walled city than in the open country, where there might be bands of robbers who would see their campfire and come attack them. Giv'ah is about seven miles (11 km.) further.14. So they passed by and went on, and the sun went down on them near Giv'ah, which belongs to Binyamin. 15. So they turned aside there to enter and spend the night in Giv'ah, and he went in and sat in the open [square] of the city, but there was no man who receive them into his house for the night. 16. But then an elderly man came in from his work in the field at evening. And the man was from the mountainous [region] of Efrayim, that is, he was a visitor in Giv'ah, while the men of the place were Binyamites. He may have had to pass through the city square just to get to his home, but it would not have been otherwise-abandoned; this was the marketplace townsfolk would come to hear the latest news from other places. The most prominent and wealthy citizens, often the town's leaders, would be the ones who lived right on the open plaza, yet though they were the most capable of offering hospitality, they failed to do so.17. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the wayfaring man in the open [square] of the city, and the older man said, "Where are you going and where do you come from?" Lifted up his eyes and saw: the same phraseology used of Avraham in Genesis 18:2 when he was looking for someone to show hospitality to. He was proving to be a true descendant of Avraham.18. So he said to him, "We are passing through from Beyth-Lekhem of Yehudah as far as the edge of the mountains of Efrayim, where I am from. I went to Beyth-Lekhem of Yehudah, but [now] I am going to the house of YHWH, and there is no man receiving me into his home! House of YHWH: Giv'ah is on the most direct route from Beyth-Lekhem to Shiloh, where the Tabernacle was located at this time.19. "But I, your servant-girl, for the young man who is with your servants have both straw and feed for our donkeys and there is bread and wine; there is no lack of anything." Notice the deference he shows to the older man by calling them his servants. It is honorable to serve the one who offers you service.20. But the older man said, "Peace to you. However, anything you need will be on me. Just don't spend the night in the open [square]!" I.e., you can keep your own provisions for later. Some people offer hospitality only because they want to receive something from you. This man offered it, asking nothing in return, even when he knew his guests already had supplies. He was ready and eager to receive guests, though he had no idea they would be coming. Like Lot (Gen. 19), he, though an outsider (also like the Samaritan in Yahshua's parable), was the only one to offer hospitality. He was grateful for the hospitality he himself had experienced, and freely gave what he had freely received. (Also compare Mat. 25:35.) Like Lot (Gen. 19:2), he knew that this open square was not a safe place for anyone to spend the night.21. And he brought him to his house and mixed some feed for the donkeys, then [the people] washed their feet, and ate and drank. 22. But as they were making their hearts glad, men who were sons of worthlessness surrounded the house and [started] pounding on the door, and they spoke to the master of the house, the elderly man, saying, "Bring out the man who has come into your house, so that we can know him!" Making their hearts glad: an idiom for drinking wine. (Psalm 104:15) Know him: i.e., sexually. This is exactly what the men of S'dom had done with Lot's guests. (Gen. 19)23. But the man who was the master of the house went out to them and said to them, "No, my brothers! Please do not do go wickedly after this man who has come into my house! Do not do this foolish thing! Go wickedly after: or do evil, do [him] harm, since this man has come into my house (i.e., for protection). The man was responsible to keep safe anyone who came under his roof, to the extent that he would even offer a seemingly-unimaginablke alternative:24. "Look, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine! Please, let me bring them out, and [you] put them down and do to them whatever is pleasing in your eyes, but to this man do not do this foolish thing! Virgin: or simply, of marriageable age. The host did the same thing Lot had done (Gen. 19), except that he offered his guest's concubine as well, showing that she was not considered as important to protect as the Levite himself. As offensive as this sounds to the ears of modern chivalry, it was counted a lesser wrong to hand over a female guest than a male (even the young servant), and Levites were the most honored tribe in Israel, so the fact that he did save the Levite's life was considered the lesser of two evils. He also looked out for the offenders by offering them the option that was the lesser sin; at least this would be a heterosexual rape, not homosexual, for which they would be more severly judged. Still, he did have a right to expect a certain measure of restraint from fellow Israelites, and the treatment the woman received was far beyond understandable:25. But the men were not willing to listen to him, so the man took hold of his concubine and brought her outside to them, and they knew her and abused her all night until the morning, and let her go when the dawn began to ascend. Abused her: literally, dealt ruthlessly with her by thrusting her through, or possibly, rolled themselves on her. Note that the virgin daughter never actually was sent outside, despite the offer. She is a picture of the parts of Israel who have kept themselves pure even to the point of martyrdom, staying as close as they could to YHWH in a time of exile when the only choices seemed to be to keep Yahshua and tolerate the mixing in of some paganism or remain with the Sabbath and Torah but reject Yahshua. The old man, considered master by the Levite, represents YHWH, and the unnamed servant who accompanied the Levite and the two redeemable entities would represent the Spirit of Holiness that works in partnership with them all when they are on the journey to YHWH's place of appointment. If the old man depicts YHWH, it means YHWH was the one who handed the concubine over. Though there had apparently been no witness to her wrong, or justice (as per Deut. 22:22) was not carried out by an Israelite tribunal, her punishment fit her crime. She desired someone other than her husband, so that is exactly what she was given--ad nauseam! It would therefore have been pointless for her to cry out for help. (Deut. 22:23-24) YHWH said He would not listen to Israel's cries when in trouble if we would not listen to His words. (Yimeyahu/Jer. 11:14)26. And the woman came in as morning approached, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was until it was light. How ironic--and shameful--that they had thought they would be safer here than in a non-Israelite city! Despite the Arabs' intense hatred for Israel, we must give credit where credit is due; in hospitality, they would have done far better than this.27. And her master got up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his journey, and there was the woman, his concubine, fallen at the entrance to the house with her hands on the threshold. 28. And he told her, "Get up, and let's go!" But there was no answer. So he took her up onto the donkey, and the man rose up and went to his place. As with Chawwah, what she wished for became what killed her. YHWH made sure this adulteress died for her crime, since verse 2 tells us that she was guilty, though her husband apparently did not know this for certain.29. When he came to his house, he took the knife and held tightly to his concubine and cut her into twelve pieces, along with her bones, and sent her into all the regions of Israel. She would have been sent to the city of the most prominent family in a tribe. The first analogy--that she represents YHWH's straying bride, Israel--ends with Israel being scattered in many directions, where she would "become meat to all the beasts of the field" (Y'hezq'el/Ezek. 34:5) Why was she sent out like this? The shock value of the smell of putrid human flesh would get people's attention more quickly than a mere letter, which they could more easily ignore. And in contrast to Deut. 21:3ff, though it was clear which city was responsible, his point was that this was not enough; all Israel was actually responsible for having tolerated the conditions that led up to it. This incident was etched deeply enough even in YHWH's own memory that He uses it to drive home the point He was making when He told a prophet to marry a woman of harlotry to show how Israel was treating Him. ('Hoshea 9:9; 10:9) King Sha'ul (Saul) would later do something similar, except that it was a yoke of oxen that he divided, to pressure all the tribes of Israel to come fight an Israelite city endangered by a foreign enemy. (1 Shmu'el 11:1-11) Ironically, that city was one that features prominently in chapter 21 below, and the city Sha'ul sent the cut-up pieces from was his own hometown (1 Shmu'el 10:26)--none other than the very same offending city in this incident--Giv'ah! This may have been his attempt to bring reparation for the atrocity described here.30. And so it was that everyone who saw it said, "There has not been, and there has never been seen the likes of this ever since the day the descendants of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day! Set yourselves on it; take counsel, and speak!" Apparently something like it was seen in Egypt. The likes of this: It is not clear whether it was the treatment of the woman or the intention of the townspeople to do worse to the Levite, or what was behind it, which is being referred to. The probable answer is, all of the above. Cutting her up would have reminded Israel of Avraham's dividing of animals into parts with the parties to the covenant walking between them. (Gen. 15) Avraham was the epitome of hospitality, and it was the underlying inhospitable attitude that was the proof that Isreael had broken the covenant. A little leaven had leavened the whole lump, so he calls all Israel to do something about it. If this story is a flashback, the disappointing cndition of Israel may have disturbed the Levite so much that he was ready to participate in paganism when it was offered to him. If not, it shows that he had had a change of heart amd repented.
Dan to Be'er-Sheva--the northern and southern extremes of the non-desert land of Israel. Even the men of Dan, who had committed such robberies in order to have better idols, and the Gil'adites, who had been accused of not being part of the people, proved to be loyal to their brother Israelites when such an atrocity had occurred. As one man: in unity, in one accord. Mitzpah: not the one in Gil'ad which Yifthakh had made his headquarters, but another Mitzpah just across the mountain range from Giv'ah, only about four miles away, right on the border between Efrayim's and Binyamin's tribal lands. As one man: with unified purpose.2. Then the cornerstones of the whole people--of all the tribes of Israel--presented themselves in the congregation of the people of Elohim: 400,000 footmen who draw out the sword. Presented themselves: or, took their stand. Draw out: i.e., are skillful with. Most men at that time would have had a sword (though what is described here was much more of what we would call a dagger in most cases, and would have already been iron by this time in history). But this is speaking of those who were actually used to using them. I.e., they were trained in hand-to-hand combat. The Word of YHWH is called our sword. (Efesians 6:17; Heb. 4:12) Many have it, and even understand it in context, but if they are not using it to defeat YHWH's enemies, they are not counted in Israel.3. And the sons of Binyamin heard that the sons of Israel had come up to Mitzpah. Now the sons of Israel said, "Tell us, how did this wicked thing come about?" Binyamin would have been among the tribes to whom a piece of the concubine's body was sent, and may have even sent some representatives. But the scribe here is already disconnecting Binyamin from the rest of Israel. Their heart was not with the rest of the nation.4. So the Levite man, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, answered and said, "I came with my concubine into Giv'ah, which belongs to Binyamin, to spend the night. 5. "But the owners of Giv'ah rose up against me and surrounded the house on me at night. They intended to kill me, but they raped my concubine so that she died. To kill me: A detail not brought out earlier, so it may just have been his perception. ButThe fact that they would follow the trial procedure outlined in Deut. 13:12-15 tells us first that the Torah had become well enough known again through the judges, and that somehow these sexual acts must have been in the context of pagan religious activity. Being a Levite, he may have been a special "prize" to these would-be homosexual rapists.6. "So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her into all the areas into which the inheritance of the sons of Israel [spreads], because they have done mischief and foolishness in Israel. Mischief: literally, what they devised; has the connotation of licentiousness and lewdness.7. "Here, you are all sons of Israel; provide what idea or plan [you have] thus far." He is reminding them that first and foremost, they are Israelites, since by that time each tribe had become like a small nation in itself, much like the United States before the War Between the States. Idea: literally, word.8. So all of the people rose up as one man to say, "Let no man go to his tent, nor let any man of us turn [back] to his house. Like a doctor who tells a patient not to be concerned about his hair falling out temporarily while they focus on eradicating a cancer, they are telling one another to remain together until this issue is fully addressed.9. "And now, this is the thing that we ought to do to Giv'ah: we will go up against it by lot. By lot: This way, no one's emotions (whether anger or pity) would be the determining factor in who went first; YHWH would choose who the first executioners would be.10. "We will take ten men per hundred belonging to all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred per thousand, and a thousand for [every] myriad, to acquire provisions for the people so that they may prepare to enter Giv'ah of Binyamin, commensurate with all the foolishness that it had perpetrated in Israel." Ten percent would be taken from whatever size the company to be the cooks and supply people. Experience in group camps shows that it takes about 10% to feed the rest adequately. How long had it been since they operated by tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands--the order that Moshe had set up for micro-management of Israel? Probably not since Y'hoshua's day.11. And every man of Israel gathered himself to the city as [if they were] one man--[as] allies. 12. Then the tribes of Israel sent men into all the branches of Binyamin to say, "What is this evil thing that has taken place among you? 13. "So now, give up the men--[the] sons of worthlessness who are in Giv'ah, so that we can put them to death, and burn away wickedness from Israel!" But Binyamin was not willing to listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. Give up: Yield, deliver over. They had an unhealthy sense of family loyalty, making blood more important than righteousness. According to Deut. 13:15, they should have only lost this one city, but their stubbornness would lead to great losses on both sides.14. And the sons of Binyamin gathered themselves together at Giv'ah from out of [their] cities to go out to war with the sons of Israel. 15. Then the sons of Binyamin mustered themselves on that day out of the cities: 26,000 who draw the sword, apart from the inhabitants of Giv'ah, who numbered 700 select men. Here the sword was used to divide one tribe from the rest of Israel.16. From all this people, 700 select men with their right hand bound up, who could each sling a stone at a hair and not miss! Right hand bound up: so they would become skilled with their left hands, as with Ehud, who had been one of them in an earlier generation (3:15). How ironic, when they were Binyamites, which means "sons of the right hand"! They were not fulfilling the calling that lay right within their name. But the approach to the city gate was often designed so that the city was on the right side, so that it was very difficult for a right-hand archer or slingsman to have much of a shot at the soldiers on the walls. So these would have been at a great advantage. Since each tribe essentially had its own army, and putting verse 15 and 16 together, it is clear that all of this elite fighting force was based here in Giv'ah, the Binyamites were being asked to turn over their best warriors, the pride of their family. So the main reason they refused to obey the Torah was for political considerations. Now the whole "tribe of the right hand" inclines toward the left. Now there were more "sons of worthlessness" at Giv'ah; the cancer had begun to devour other cells.17. And the men of Israel, apart from Binyamin, numbered 400,000 who draw the sword, every one of them a man of war. 18. And they arose and went up to Beyth-El and inquired of Elohim, saying, "Who should go up for us first for the battle with the sons of Binyamin?" And YHWH said, "Yehudah [will go] at the forefront." Beyth-El: Since the camp of Israel around the Tabernacle resembled an ancient war camp, it may be that since the nation was acting in unity, the Tabernacle was temporarily moved from Shiloh to a place only about 5 miles (8 km.) from the battle front, so that the leaders could more easily come to inquire of YHWH for directions. First, at the forefront: literally, at the piercing or opening edge. And Yehudah indeed has been the first to open up the Land for Israel to reinhabit it in our own day. But since a friend or parent or a witness of the crime was to be the first to cast a stone against an idolater (Deut. 13:9; 17:2), and Binyamin was disobeying the Torah because they put security before YHWH, Yehudah, who had made a special promise to Yaaqov to be Binyamin's protector, was to "cast the first stone". Also, Yehudah was a direct neighbor to Binyamin, and the woman who had been killed was a Yehudite.19. So the sons of Israel got up in the morning and encamped against Giv'ah. Against: or, above.20. Then the men of Israel went out to battle with the sons of Binyamin, and the men of Israel arranged themselves in battle order toward Giv'ah against them. 21. When the sons of Binyamin came out from Giv'ah, on that day they caused 22,000 men in Israel to decay on the ground. 22. So the people, the men of Israel, held firm and repeated the battle arrangement in the place where they had been arranged in order on the first day. 23. Then the sons of Israel went up and wept before YHWH until the evening, and inquired of YHWH, saying, "Shall I approach the sons of Binyamin my brother for battle yet again?" And YHWH said, "Go up to them." They add "my brother" this time. It could be that the heavy losses the first day were because they had been acting strictly out of anger (though angry they should indeed have been), and forgetting that this was family and that what they were after was not punishment, but correction for the rest of the tribe. It was not to be about getting even, but about restoration.24. So the descendants of Israel were getting close to the sons of Binyamin on the second day, 25. when Binyamin came out from Giv'ah to meet them for the second day, and again caused 18,000 men of the sons of Israel to decay on the earth; all of these were [men who] drew the sword. It seems Binyamin attacked before they were ready. Now the rest of Israel had lost 10% and Binyamin's army was still intact in full force.26. So all the sons of Israel--the whole people--went up and came to Beyth-El, and wept and sat there in the presence of YHWH and fasted that day until evening, and caused ascending [offerings] and peace offerings to go up before YHWH. They mourned the loss of a "tithe" of their army, but also because it was their brother tribe that was inflicting them, and they knew they would have to decimate their own kinsmen.27. And the sons of Israel inquired of YHWH (while the Ark of the Covenant of Elohim was there in those days, 28. and Pin'has the son of El'azar the son of Aharon was standing before it in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle with the sons of Binyamin?" And YHWH said, "Go up, because tomorrow I will give it into your hand." Pin'has must have been around 400 years old, having been a young man at the time of Moshe! It may be that a very long life was part of the "covenant of peace" that YHWH specifically rewarded him with. (Num. 25:12) They now had some reassurance that YHWH was really in this, and the drastic losses would not continue.29. So Israel set ambushes against Giv'ah on every side, 30. and the sons of Israel went up toward the sons of Binyamin on the third day, and were getting into position against Giv'ah as [they had the previous two] times, 31. when the sons of Binyamin came out to meet the people. But they were drawn away from the city. When they began to strike down some of the people as [they had the previous two] times--about 30 men in Israel in the field by the highways, one of which goes up to Beyth-El and one to Giv'ah, The Binyamites were confident because of their previous two victories, and made somewhat of a surprise attack before the other tribes were fully ready to fight. It may be because Binyamin had been spoiled by both Yaaqov and Yoseyf that his tribe turned out to be arrogant and flesh-oriented, thinking they could get away with anything. The same tactic was used by Y'hoshua at Ay. (Y'hoshua 8) Highways: Aramaic, meeting of the roads.32. the sons of Binyamin said, "They are beaten before us as at first!" But the sons of Israel said, "Let's run away and draw them out away from the city onto the highways." 33. So every man of Israel rose up from his place and got in place at Ba'al-Thamar. Then Israel's ambush burst out from its place away from the open [ground at] Giv'ah. Ba'al-Thamar: "Owner of the Date-palm"; Aramaic, Y'rikho, which is also known as the city of palms. (Deut. 34:3)34. That is, ten thousand men chosen out of all Israel came within sight of Giv'ah, and the battle was heavy, but they themselves did not realize that harm was [about to] touch them. Within sight of: or, from straight in front of or opposite (the city). Harm: calamity or evil; they did not recognize the danger they were in.35. And YHWH struck Binyamin down before Israel, and that day the sons of Israel caused 25,100 men of Binyamin to decay--all of them drawers of the sword. 36. When the sons of Binyamin saw that they were defeated, the men of Israel then gave Binyamin space, because they had confidence in the ambush which they had set against Giv'ah. 37. So the ambush came quickly and invaded Giv'ah, and the ambush stretched themselves out and attacked the whole city with the mouth of the sword. Came quickly: also connotes "with excitement". Invaded: made a dash toward, or raided, rushed on.38. Now the men of Israel had an appointed [signal] with the ambush: "Make a huge volume of smoke go up from the city!" 39. So the men of Israel turned back in the battle when Binyamin had begun to strike down the wounded among the men of Israel (about 30 men, because they said, "It really is beaten before us for sure, just like the first battle!"). 40. But [with] the signal, a column of smoke began to go up from the city, and Binyamin turned [and looked] behind him, and lo and behold, the entirety of the city had gone up into the heavens. Our phrase "go up in smoke" may have originated here.41. Then the men of Israel turned back [around], and the men of Binyamin were alarmed, because they saw that the evil had reached them. 42. So they turned [their backs] before the men of Israel toward the wilderness road, but the battle overtook them, and [those] who [came] out from the cities were destroying them in the middle of it. From the cities: reinforcements from the border cities of Yehudah that they would be passing by as they tried to head for the Negev to the south; the Binyamites had already come out of their cities. (v. 14)43. Then they surrounded Binyamin, pursued them without rest, and trod them down until [they were] opposite Giv'ah from the sunrise. Without rest: or, with ease. Next we have a detailed recapitulation of what was summarized in verse 35:44. And 18,000 men of Binyamin fell, with all of them [being] able men. Able men: or, men of the army, men of valor. This is the same number of men they had killed in the last battle. Was this "poetic justice"?45. Then they turned and fled into the wilderness toward the cliff of Rimmon, and they thrust intensely at [them and cut down] 5,000 men and followed hard after them as far as Gid'om, and struck down 2,000 of their men. Cliff of Rimmon: possibly the escarpment of the Ramon Crater, which is in the Negev about halfway between Be'er-Sheva' and Eilath. Rimmon means "pomegranate". Thrust at: the same word used for gleaning a harvested crop.46. So all those who fell from Binyamin on that day were 25,000 men who drew the sword--with all of these being able men. 47. But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness toward the cliff of Rimmon, and they lived in the cliff of Rimmon for four months. This would be the only fruitful part of Binyamin, but from this remnant the first man actually called the king of Israel would come. He was not exaggerating when he said he was from the smallest tribe of Israel! (1 Shmu'el 9:21)48. When the men of Israel went back to the sons of Binyamin, they attacked them with the mouth of the sword, from the entire city to beasts to anything that was found; they even sent away all the cities that [they] found by [means of] fire. These "sons" must have been the other 1,100 of the total 26,700 warriors of Binyamin (v. 15) or the 100 (v. 35) that were otherwise unaccounted for; it could also be that some of the Binyamites who did respect the Torah and the unity of Israel "defected" to the other side when they saw that their tribe was in the wrong. Sent away: i.e., up into the heavens (as in verse 40). Fire is thus seen as a way of transferring things from one realm to the other, just as the offerings in the Temple were "sent up" to YHWH by means of fire. This was not a "soothing aroma" to YHWH in the same way that a peace or thanksgiving offering would be, but it was the "smell" of obedience nonetheless. 1. But the men of Israel had sworn in Mitzpah, saying, "Not a man of us will give his daughter to Binyamin as a wife!"
3. And they said, "YHWH, Elohim of Israel, why has this taken place in Israel, for one tribe to be missing today from Israel?"
4. So what the people did the next day was [that they] got up early [and shouldered the burden]--they built an altar there and made ascending [offering]s and peace [offering]s go up.
12. But among the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gil'ad, they found 400 young maidens who had not known a man by lying with a male, and they brought them into the camp of Shiloh, which is in the land of Kanaan.
19. Then they said, "Look here! [There's] a feast of YHWH every year in Shiloh, which is north of Beyth-El toward the sunrise from the highway that goes up from Beyth-El to Sh'khem, and on the south of L'vonah."
25. In those days there was no king in Israel; [each] man did what was right in his own eyes.
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Mount Tavor
The Spring of Trembling (Eyn Harod, pictured here) is on the southern edge of the Yizre'el Valley, and still flows today from a cave on the side of Mount Gilboa, about four miles east of the city of Yizre'el and 8 miles west of Beyth She'an. Like Mount Thavor, the Hill of Moreh is an isolated hill in the middle of the Valley, easily visible from Harod. Moreh means "teacher". The Hebrew word for spring also means "eye", and the word for encamping specifically means "to bend down or incline". So another way to read the phrase is, "they bent down in regard to the eye of shuddering". In other words, they inclined themselves toward fear. North: in Hebrew orientation, this is on the left hand. 
Mt. Gilboa from Beyth She'an.
The brook at Eyn Harod, looking toward the Hill of Moreh.
Grizim (on left in photo) is the mountain from which the blessings of the Torah were announced by several tribes of Israel, while the curses were announced from Mount Eval, which is on the other side of Sh'khem (on left in photo; see Deut. 11:29; Y'hoshua 8:33). The acoustics here must be excellent. Yotham was apparently appealing to that remembrance of YHWH's promise to bring consequences for such flagrant disregard for justice.